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Stater
| Issuer | Ambrakia |
|---|---|
| Year | 404 BC - 360 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Pegasos in full flight to the left, rendered with bold, high-relief modeling characteristic of the Corinthian tradition. The winged horse is depicted in a dynamic galloping posture, with forelegs extended and hindquarters raised; the large, finely detailed wings are spread upward above the body. The curled bridle and forelock are visible at the head, and the tail streams elegantly to the right. The broad, plain field below gives the composition a commanding presence typical of early fourth-century BC northwest Greek coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Helmeted head of Athena facing right, wearing a Corinthian helmet adorned with a wreath motif and bearing the city initial A on the bowl, identifying the mint of Ambrakia. Above and to the left, Nike is depicted in flight to the left, her wings spread, in the act of crowning the goddess. The portrait is rendered in fine archaic-to-early classical style, with careful attention to the cheekpieces and neckguard of the helmet. The composition occupies a shallow incuse field, framed by the irregular flan typical of hammered Greek silver coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Ambrakia, the Corinthian colony at the mouth of the Ambrakian Gulf, struck pegasos staters on the Corinthian weight standard throughout the fourth century — a deliberate alignment with the mother city's commercial network rather than any local monetary experiment. The type circulated widely across northwestern Greece and into the Adriatic trade routes that Ambrakia actively controlled. Ravel's classification of the "Colts," his systematic grouping of pegasos-type staters by colony, remains the indispensable reference for distinguishing Ambrakian issues from the dozens of Corinthian dependencies striking nearly identical types.
HGC 3.1 #205 places this squarely within the earlier fourth-century production, before Pyrrhus made Ambrakia his capital around 295 BC and transformed the city's political fortunes entirely.