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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Akanthos |
|---|---|
| Year | 470 BC - 430 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 28.0 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square divided into four triangular sections in alternating relief and depression, characteristic of early Macedonian hammered coinage technique. The ethnic inscription ΑΚΑΝΘΟΣ is disposed around the incuse square within a shallow overall depression, identifying the issuing city of Akanthos. The geometric patterning of the reverse reflects the punch-and-anvil striking method standard for this period of Greek coinage. |
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| Mintage | ND (470 BC - 430 BC) |
| Additional information |
Akanthos, a Macedonian coastal colony founded by settlers from Andros, derived its wealth almost entirely from the timber trade supplying the Aegean naval powers — timber the Athenians desperately needed for their fleet. This tetradrachm was struck during the decades immediately following the Persian Wars, when northern Aegean poleis operated with considerable monetary independence before Athenian imperial pressure began standardizing coinage across the league.
The Weber and AMNG references place this firmly within the earlier, more robust phase of Akanthian silver production, before the city's absorption into the Chalcidian League altered its minting authority in the late fifth century.