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Obol M A
| Issuer | Massalia |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 82 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Obol (⅙) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A plain circular border encloses a four-spoked wheel with a small central pellet boss, the spokes dividing the field into four quadrants. The Greek letters M and A appear in the lower two quadrants, serving as an abbreviated ethnic for Massalia. The overall design is schematic and bold, consistent with the abbreviated civic types characteristic of Massalian small silver denominations throughout the Hellenistic period. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Massalia — modern Marseille — was a Phocaean Greek colony whose mint operated with remarkable continuity for roughly three centuries, and these tiny fractional silvers were the workhorses of local Mediterranean trade throughout that span. The city maintained effective independence from both Carthaginian and early Roman pressure largely through commercial wealth, and its coinage circulated well beyond Provence into Celtic Gaul, where hoards confirm widespread indigenous acceptance.
Production effectively ended after Massalia backed Pompey against Caesar, a catastrophic political miscalculation that cost the city its autonomy in 49 BC.