Catalog
Silver 20 Asses Gorgoneion series II: octopus
| Issuer | Populonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 301 BC - 206 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Asses |
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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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large octopus depicted facing or slightly turned, rendered in a stylized manner with eight tentacles splayed symmetrically around a central body, filling the field in a dynamic and decorative composition. The tentacles are shown with characteristic curling ends, consistent with Etruscan artistic conventions. The design is boldly executed in high relief and serves as the principal type of this series. The flan is irregular, as typical of hammered ancient coinage from Populonia. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Populonia |
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| Additional information |
Populonia, the only Etruscan city known to have struck its own coinage directly from locally smelted ore, drew its silver from the iron-rich deposits of Elba and the surrounding Campigliese mining district. The denomination in asses places this within a weight standard unique to Populonia — an aes grave reckoning applied to silver, a combination found nowhere else in the ancient Italian world. The octopus, a recurring reverse type in this series, reflects the city's orientation toward Tyrrhenian maritime trade rather than inland Etruscan networks.