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Siglos - Ki...
| Issuer | Idalion |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 470 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 10.29 g |
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| Obverse description | Sphinx seated to right with wings raised, lifting the left foreleg. A Cypriot-Syllabic inscription reading 'ba-si' (possibly 'ba-ki') appears in the left field. The figure is rendered in the archaic Cypriot style characteristic of the early fifth century BC, with fine surface detail on the wing feathers and body. The field is flat and unbordered. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Idalion was one of the few Cypriot city-kingdoms with a dual power structure — nominally under Persian suzerainty after 480 BC but still minting under its own dynastic authority. The decade captured by this issue's date range coincides with sustained Phoenician pressure on the city, culminating eventually in Idalion's absorption by Kition, probably by the mid-fifth century. That the city continued striking silver through this turbulent period reflects how deeply coin production was tied to dynastic legitimacy rather than purely commercial need.