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Obol - Orou
| Issuer | Caria, Achaemenid Satrapy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 450 BC - 400 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing right, his hair rendered in wavy locks falling in tresses down the nape of the neck. The image is set within a shallow incuse square bordered by a ring of dots. A Lycian inscription appears in the field. The engraving is executed in the fine archaic Greek style characteristic of Carian and Lycian coinage of the fifth century BC. |
| Reverse script | Lycian |
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| Additional information |
Orou is identified as a dynast of the Carian interior during the period of Achaemenid dominance over the region, issuing coins under the broader administrative umbrella of the Persian satrapy while maintaining a distinctly local iconographic tradition. The Achaemenids generally permitted subordinate dynasts to strike their own silver provided tribute obligations were met — a pragmatic arrangement that produced the remarkable numismatic diversity of fifth-century Caria.
The fabric is characteristically rough for the region and period, struck on irregularly shaped flans with dies that show little concern for centering.