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Obol - Alexander
| Issuer | Pherai (Thessaly) |
|---|---|
| Year | 369 BC - 359 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A four-spoked wheel rendered in perspective within a plain raised oval border, the spokes crossing at a central hub and the rim depicted as an ellipse to convey depth, a distinctive foreshortened view characteristic of Pheraian coinage of the period. The Greek letters Α and ΛΕ, abbreviating the name of the tyrant Alexander of Pherai, appear divided in the field to the left and right of the wheel respectively, serving as a dynastic identifier. The design is boldly struck on an irregularly shaped flan typical of small-denomination hammered silver issues of fourth-century BC Thessaly. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Pherai rose to regional dominance under the tyrant Jason, who by 374 BC had unified Thessaly under a single tagos for the first time in generations — a consolidation of power that made the city's coinage politically significant well beyond its small module. Jason's assassination in 370 BC, followed by the brief and violent succession of his brothers Polyphron and Polydoros, left the mint operating under acute dynastic instability. This obol falls squarely within that turbulent interval.
BCD Thessaly II 703 places this piece within a tightly defined sequence. The BCD collection remains the primary reference for Thessalian civic issues precisely because so few institutional collections assembled this regional material systematically.