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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Mende |
|---|---|
| Year | 460 BC - 423 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 17.02 g |
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| Obverse description | Dionysus, depicted as a bearded, ivy-wreathed figure, reclines in a relaxed pose astride a walking donkey moving to the right, his body turned frontally with drapery falling loosely about him. The god holds a kantharos (wine cup) aloft in his right hand, a characteristic attribute referencing his divine association with wine. The scene is rendered in high relief with fine archaic style, conveying both vitality and iconic symbolism. A beaded border frames the design, emphasizing the carefully articulated musculature of the donkey and the relaxed posture of the deity. The composition reflects the celebrated civic pride of Mende, a city renowned in antiquity for its wine production. |
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| Reverse description | A large incuse square subdivided into nine smaller compartments by a bold cruciform pattern, with a prominent raised border decorated with a row of pellets, creating a windowed or latticed appearance. The ethnic legend ΜΕΝΔΑΙΟΝ is distributed around the outer margins of the incuse square, with individual letters placed in each corner and along the sides in Greek characters. The deeply recessed incuse technique, characteristic of early northern Greek coinage, contrasts the raised inner grid with the flat surrounding field. A small circular symbol appears in the lower left corner of the outer border. The overall design is precise and geometric, reflecting the strong influence of the Lete-Acanthus coinage tradition of the Macedonian and Thracian minting regions. |
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| Mint | Mende |
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