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Oktobol
| Issuer | Selymbria |
|---|---|
| Year | 425 BC - 410 BC |
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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 | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A single upright ear of barley or wheat occupies the centre of the field, rendered with carefully incised grains along a central stalk and flanking leaves at the base, characteristic of Greek civic coinage of the Thracian region. The ethnic inscription of Selymbria is distributed around the central device in two groups: ΣΑ to the upper left and ΛΥ to the upper right, in archaic Greek characters. The overall composition is bold and well-centred on the irregular flan, consistent with fifth-century BC hammered coinage conventions. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Selymbria sat on the Propontis coast in a perpetually awkward position — nominally allied with Athens during much of the fifth century, yet sufficiently independent to strike its own civic coinage. The city's resistance to Alcibiades' siege in 408 BC is one of the better-documented episodes of its history, and coinage from precisely this window may have supported local military expenditure during that standoff.
The oktobol denomination — eight obols — is uncommon in the Greek west Pontic series and points to a locally maintained weight standard rather than strict Attic conformity.