Tetartemorion

Among the smallest coins ever produced in the ancient world, the Ephesian tetartemorion represents one-quarter of an obol — itself already a fractional denomination. Ephesos was among the earliest cities to adopt coinage, operating in a commercial environment shaped by proximity to Lydian trade networks and the electrum staters that preceded silver fractions like this one. At 0.20 g, these pieces were struck with surprising precision given the technology available, though die alignment and flan preparation were necessarily inconsistent at this scale.