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Stater
| Issuer | Lampsakos (Mysia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 387 BC - 334 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Gold Stater (20) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Facing left, the head of Herakles assimilated to Omphale, rendered with finely engraved facial features and wearing a high stephane; the knobbed end of Herakles' club is depicted at the right of the neck, serving as an attribute identifying the hero's mythological role. The portrait exhibits the archaic-to-classical Greek artistic style characteristic of Lampsakene coinage, with carefully detailed hair and a serene, idealized expression. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lampsakos occupied one of the most strategically valuable positions on the Hellespont, and the city's gold coinage reflects the wealth that came with controlling a critical crossing point between Europe and Asia. The mint operated under Persian satrapal authority for much of this period — the city had been surrendered to Persia under the Peace of Antalcidas in 387 BC, the very year that brackets this issue's beginning. Persian tolerance of the local coinage was pragmatic; Lampsakene staters circulated widely as trusted trade currency throughout the Aegean and beyond.
Production ceased when Alexander crossed into Asia Minor in 334 BC and absorbed the city into Macedonian control.