Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Stater
| Issuer | Orchomenos of Boeotia |
|---|---|
| Year | 387 BC - 374 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 11.95 g |
| 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The iconic Boeotian shield rendered in bold relief, depicted facing and occupying nearly the entire field. The distinctive cutout shape of the shield — with its characteristic twin lateral indentations — is rendered with crisp, well-defined incuse outlines, emphasizing the curved body and the concave side notches typical of this regional military emblem. The design fills the flan without a border legend, consistent with the aniconic shield-type coinage of the Boeotian League cities. |
|---|---|
| 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 | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Orchomenos sat uncomfortably within the Boeotian League, its relationship with Thebes defined by rivalry rather than cooperation. Following the King's Peace of 387 BC, Sparta reorganized Greek political arrangements in ways that temporarily checked Theban dominance, and Orchomenos operated with unusual autonomy during precisely this window — which is when these staters were produced. The series ends around 374 BC, shortly before Theban power reasserted itself decisively in the region.
The BCD collection reference here is significant: Lanz's 2002 auction of the BCD Boiotia material remains the benchmark study for attribution of this series.