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Obol Magdalensberg Type
| Issuer | Kingdom of Noricum |
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| Year | 200 BC - 1 BC |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Completely blank field with no design, inscription, or decorative element; the surface is entirely unadorned, a characteristic feature of this Noricean obol type consistent with its role as a fractional denomination struck for local circulation. |
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| Reverse description | A Winckelkreuz (angled or hooked cross) with four radiating arms dividing the field into quadrants, each arm tapering from a central pellet boss; the cross design is rendered in bold relief with concave flutes along each arm, with small pellets or globular elements visible in two of the quadrants. The composition is strictly geometric and aniconic, typical of the La Tène-influenced Celtic coinage of Noricum. |
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| Additional information |
The Magdalensberg obols were produced by the Norican kingdom centered on the Magdalensberg in what is now Carinthia, a site that also functioned as a major Roman trading post before formal provincial annexation in 15 BC. Noricum's silver coinage is closely tied to the region's iron industry — the kingdom controlled some of the finest iron deposits in the ancient world, and Roman merchants were present at Magdalensberg for generations before the territory was absorbed without military conflict, an almost unique circumstance in Roman expansionism.