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Stater
| Issuer | Lampsakos |
|---|---|
| Year | 499 BC - 494 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a winged horse (Pegasus) in the left field, shown rearing with forelegs raised, rendered in high relief with finely engraved feathered wings swept dramatically to the right. A facing female head, likely a local deity or nymph, emerges from between the wings at the upper right, depicted with archaic stylistic features including large almond-shaped eyes and an elaborate floral or palmette headdress. The design fills the irregular flan characteristic of early archaic electrum coinage, with no legend or border present. The overall composition is vigorous and deeply struck, reflecting the accomplished die-cutting tradition of the Propontine mint at Lampsakos. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lampsakos, positioned on the Asian shore of the Hellespont, issued electrum coinage at a moment of acute political instability — the city was under Persian suzerainty during the Ionian Revolt, the coordinated Greek uprising against Achaemenid rule that ultimately collapsed with the fall of Miletus in 494 BC. Whether this stater was struck before or after Persian forces reasserted control is genuinely difficult to determine, and the date range itself reflects that uncertainty.
Electrum from Lampsakos was never minted to a consistent natural alloy; the city's issues show deliberate adjustment of gold-to-silver ratios, suggesting a mint aware of — and manipulating — its own monetary output.