Ambrakia was a Corinthian colony on the Ambrakian Gulf, and its coinage closely followed the Corinthian weight standard — unsurprising given the colonial tie, but the city maintained its own distinct magistrate issues throughout. The dating of this series to 426–404 BC places it squarely within the Peloponnesian War, during which Ambrakia suffered catastrophically: the city lost the majority of its adult male population at the Battle of Idomene in 426 BC, a defeat Thucydides called the greatest disaster to befall any Greek city relative to its size in the entire war.
Ravel's classification of this piece as Colt 128 places it within a closely sequenced die study that has remained the authoritative reference for Ambrakian staters since its 1936 publication.
Ambrakia was a Corinthian colony on the Ambrakian Gulf, and its coinage closely followed the Corinthian weight standard — unsurprising given the colonial tie, but the city maintained its own distinct magistrate issues throughout. The dating of this series to 426–404 BC places it squarely within the Peloponnesian War, during which Ambrakia suffered catastrophically: the city lost the majority of its adult male population at the Battle of Idomene in 426 BC, a defeat Thucydides called the greatest disaster to befall any Greek city relative to its size in the entire war.
Ravel's classification of this piece as Colt 128 places it within a closely sequenced die study that has remained the authoritative reference for Ambrakian staters since its 1936 publication.