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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Damastion (Illyria) |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 340 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing right, rendered in high relief with finely modeled wavy hair bound by a taenia; the features are executed in the mature Greek style characteristic of mid-4th century BC Illyrian coinage. The neck is bare and the portrait displays strong, well-defined facial features including a prominent nose and full lips. A partial legend appears at the upper left of the field. The flan is irregular, as typical of hand-struck silver coinage of this period and region. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Damastion was a silver-mining polis in the mountainous interior of Illyria whose coinage circulated widely among Macedonian and Epirote trading networks despite the city's relatively brief independent monetary history. The mint is believed to have operated under the control of a loose federation of mining communities rather than a single ruling authority, which explains the collaborative and sometimes inconsistent nature of its output.
May's die study identified this type as among the later emissions of the series, when Damastion's silver production was likely already contracting under pressure from Macedonian expansion under Philip II.