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Octadrachm
| Issuer | Abdera (Thrace) |
|---|---|
| Year | 520 BC - 500 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 29.65 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Deep quadripartite incuse square, created by the punch of the reverse die, divided into four equal rectangular compartments by a raised cross-bar running both horizontally and vertically through the center. The four resulting panels are recessed and show rough, granular surfaces typical of early archaic hammered coinage. No inscription or subsidiary device is present; the stark geometric design is characteristic of the earliest Abderite coinage prior to the introduction of civic legends. |
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| Mint | Abdera, Thrace, modern-day Avdira, Greece |
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| Additional information |
Abdera's octadrachms from this period reflect the city's position astride the Aegean coastal trade route, where Thracian silver from the interior hinterlands passed through Abderan hands before reaching Greek markets. The city was refounded around 545 BC by colonists from Teos, who fled the Persian advance under Harpagus — that refugee origin shaped Abdera's commercial urgency and likely drove the early adoption of a heavy denominal standard suited to bulk mercantile exchange rather than small-scale civic use.
May's die study remains the foundational reference for this series. Specimens attributed to May #3 represent some of the earliest post-refoundation issues.