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Stater - Monounios
| Issuer | Kings of Illyria |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 275 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A cow standing to the right in the field, suckling a calf positioned beneath her body. The bovine group is rendered in a naturalistic style characteristic of Illyrian coinage of the period, with fine detail in the musculature of the cow and the smaller figure of the nursing calf. The composition fills the flan within a plain, slightly irregular border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A square incuse panel dominates the field, containing a symmetrical pattern of two columns of three flame-like or leaf-shaped motifs arranged in opposing pairs, separated by a central vertical dividing line with pellets, in the manner of a double-grained or granulated decorative scheme. A vertical branch or thyrsus-like symbol appears to the right of the square panel, outside the border. The Greek legend ΜΟΝΟΥΝΙΟΥ (genitive of Monounios) is inscribed along the lower exergual area, identifying the issuing Illyrian king. |
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| Additional information |
Monounios is the earliest Illyrian king attested by name on coinage, and his staters represent the first documented royal silver issue from the region. His kingdom, centered around the Drin River valley, maintained enough contact with Greek commercial networks — particularly through Dyrrachium and Apollonia — that his mint adopted Greek weight standards rather than developing an indigenous system. The political circumstances behind the issue remain debated, but the coinage likely coincided with his known diplomatic dealings with Pyrrhus of Epirus around 295–290 BC.