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Stater - 108th Olympiad
| Issuer | Sanctuary of Zeus, Olympia |
|---|---|
| Year | 348 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing right, rendered in high relief with masterful archaic-classical style. The god's long, curling beard and flowing hair are rendered with fine detail, conveying divine majesty and authority. A thick olive wreath crowns the head, its leaves clearly articulated. The portrait fills the flan with commanding presence, consistent with the celebrated Elean artistic tradition associated with the sanctuary workshops. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Issued by the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia to commemorate the 108th Olympiad, this stater belongs to a series produced by one of the ancient world's most unusual minting authorities — a religious sanctuary rather than a city-state. The Olympic mint operated intermittently, striking coins primarily around the quadrennial games to facilitate the enormous commercial activity that accompanied the festival. In 348 BC, Philip II of Macedon was consolidating power to the north, and Greek interstate politics were fracturing in ways that would make these pan-Hellenic gatherings increasingly fraught.
Seltman's Temple series classification places this piece among the better-documented sanctuary issues.