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Stater
| Issuer | Uncertain Ionian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 525 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Stater (1) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Forepart of a bridled horse advancing to the left, rendered in bold archaic relief. A rosette device is positioned at the breast of the horse, and a floral symbol, possibly a lotus blossom, is placed at the nape of the neck. The design is characteristic of the Ionian artistic tradition of the mid-sixth century BC, with strong, stylized modeling of the animal's musculature. The flan is thick and irregular, typical of early electrum coinage from the western Anatolian region. No inscription or legend is present in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND (550 BC - 525 BC) |
| Additional information |
Electrum staters from uncertain Ionian mints of this period sit at the very beginning of coined money in the Western tradition, produced within a generation or two of the first coins ever struck anywhere. The attribution problem is genuine — Ionian civic identity in the mid-sixth century was fluid, and several poleis shared iconographic conventions closely enough that firm assignment remains contested among specialists even with hoard evidence.
The Weidauer grouping (138–139) places this type within a die-linked sequence that suggests a single mint of meaningful output, not an emergency or one-off issue. Lydia's conquest of the Ionian coast under Croesus likely shaped the weight standard in use here.