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Obol Crab
| Issuer | Massalia |
|---|---|
| Year | 460 BC - 450 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A crab depicted in high relief, presented dorsally with its broad carapace prominently centered on the flan, the legs and claws extending to either side in a schematic yet naturalistic rendering. The surrounding field bears incuse striations characteristic of hammered small silver coinage of this period, with no inscription or border legend. The crab type is a hallmark reverse device of early Massalian obol coinage, likely referencing the maritime environment of the colony. |
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| Mint | Massalia (modern Marseille, France) |
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| Additional information |
Massalia — modern Marseille — was a Phocaean Greek colony founded around 600 BC, and by the mid-fifth century it had developed a distinctly local coinage tradition largely independent of mainland Greek monetary conventions. The crab type on this obol is characteristic of the earliest Massalian silver, a denomination struck in such small weights that dies frequently show misalignment and off-center placement, making well-centered examples genuinely uncommon.
Lelewel-Tochon 510 places this piece within the archaic phase before the series transitioned toward the more standardized drachm types for which Massalia is better known in later centuries.