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Oktadrachm
| Issuer | Abdera |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 475 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | M |
| Reverse description | Deep quadripartite incuse square divided into four rectangular compartments by a raised cross, with alternating recessed and raised sections creating a windmill or mill-sail pattern. The incuse is boldly struck and sharply defined, consistent with early fifth-century BC archaic coinage technique from the Thracian coastal mints. The flan edges are rough and uneven, reflecting hand-cut preparation of the silver blank. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Abdera's silver coinage in this period was among the heaviest-weight issues in the northern Aegean, a reflection of the city's access to the silver mines of Thrace rather than any dependence on Athenian or Lydian monetary networks. The city had been refounded — according to tradition by Timesius of Clazomenae, then more durably by Tean colonists fleeing the Persian advance around 545 BC — and its early coinage reflects that western Anatolian heritage in fabric and module.
The Rosen and May references diverge slightly on die attribution for this type, which is why the "corr." notation matters: the cataloger is signaling a partial match, not a clean one.