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Stater - 94th Olympiad
| Issuer | Olympia |
|---|---|
| Year | 404 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Head of Hera facing right, rendered in fine archaic-transitional style, with delicately modelled features including a slightly parted mouth and almond-shaped eye. The goddess wears an elaborate ornamented stephanos (crown) decorated with floral and scroll motifs, with loose curling locks of hair falling along the neck. The die work is of high quality, characteristic of the Elean sanctuary mint at Olympia. |
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| Mintage | ND (-404) |
| Additional information |
Struck to commemorate the 94th Olympiad of 404 BC, these staters were issued by the sanctuary at Olympia — one of the rare instances where a religious site, rather than a city-state, exercised minting authority. The timing is striking: 404 BC marks the year Athens surrendered to Sparta, ending the Peloponnesian War after nearly three decades. The games that year proceeded under Spartan dominance, with Sparta having wrested control of the sanctuary from Elis only shortly prior.
SNG Copenhagen 379 represents the standard reference for this type, though examples vary enough in die work to reward closer attribution.