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Stater
| Issuer | Melos |
|---|---|
| Year | 460 BC - 450 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 |
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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 quadripartite incuse square divided into four triangular sections by raised diagonal lines meeting at the center, creating a windmill or pinwheel pattern. Each of the four quarters bears a small raised pellet or boss near its outer corner along the periphery, a decorative feature distinctive to Melian coinage of this period. The incuse is deeply struck and boldly geometric, consistent with early classical Greek hammered coinage technique. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (460 BC - 450 BC) |
| Additional information |
Melos occupied an unusual position among Aegean island states — a Dorian community surrounded largely by Ionian neighbors, which shaped its political alignments for centuries. These staters were struck during a period when the island maintained a degree of independence that it would catastrophically lose in 416 BC, when Athens depopulated it entirely, executing the men and enslaving the women and children. Thucydides recorded the event in unflinching detail. That destruction makes pre-war Melian coinage a finite series with no possibility of later issues bridging the gap.
The Jameson 1280 reference places this specimen within a well-documented die study, though the HGC assigns a rarity rating that reflects genuine scarcity in the market.