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Tetartemorion
| Issuer | Pantikapaion (Taurica) |
|---|---|
| Year | 470 BC - 460 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| 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 | 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four equal quarters by two perpendicular raised ridges, forming a shallow mill-sail or windmill pattern. Pellets are placed in two diagonally opposing quarters — one in the upper right and one in the lower left — serving as the only decorative elements on the reverse. The incuse technique is characteristic of early Greek coinage of the western Pontic region. The field is plain and unlettered. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (470 BC - 460 BC) |
| Additional information |
Pantikapaion, the dominant Greek colony on the Cimmerian Bosporus, began striking its own coinage in the fifth century BC as trade with Scythian hinterland populations demanded reliable small-denomination exchange. At 0.13 g, the tetartemorion represented one quarter of an obol — the smallest practical unit in the Greek fractional system — and these tiny flans were routinely struck with considerable off-center placement, a known production characteristic of the early Pantikapaion series rather than a flaw specific to individual dies.