The 91st Olympiad fell in 416 BC, just two years after the Peace of Nicias had briefly suspended the Peloponnesian War — a truce already fraying badly by the time the games were held. Alcibiades entered no fewer than seven chariots in the four-horse race that year and took first, second, and fourth place, a display of personal wealth so ostentatious it became a political liability cited against him within months.
Staters issued for specific Olympiads are rare as a category; most surviving Elean silver is not attributable to a particular games. The BCD and Seltman references allow this piece to be pinned with confidence to a single festival cycle.
The 91st Olympiad fell in 416 BC, just two years after the Peace of Nicias had briefly suspended the Peloponnesian War — a truce already fraying badly by the time the games were held. Alcibiades entered no fewer than seven chariots in the four-horse race that year and took first, second, and fourth place, a display of personal wealth so ostentatious it became a political liability cited against him within months.
Staters issued for specific Olympiads are rare as a category; most surviving Elean silver is not attributable to a particular games. The BCD and Seltman references allow this piece to be pinned with confidence to a single festival cycle.