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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Mende |
|---|---|
| Year | 425 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Dionysos reclines in a symposiastic pose upon a donkey walking to right, his body turned to face the viewer. The god holds a kantharos in his raised right hand and a thyrsos in his left hand, rendered in the bold, expressive style characteristic of late Classical Macedonian coinage. The composition fills the flan with dynamic naturalism, emphasizing the god's relaxed divinity. The irregular flan and hammer-struck technique lend the design a vigorous, hand-crafted quality typical of Chalcidic mint production of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ΜΕΝ ΔΑ ΙΟ Ν |
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| Additional information |
Mende, a Chalcidian colony on the western prong of the Chalkidike peninsula, was one of the ancient world's most significant wine exporters, and the city's coinage was effectively a commercial instrument circulating through Aegean trade networks where Mendean wine amphoras were already a recognized commodity. The tetradrachm series from this period reflects the city at its economic peak, before Macedonian pressure in the fourth century began eroding the independence of the Chalkidian poleis.
The Jameson collection specimen — Jameson 1960 — is among the better-documented die-linked examples and has served as a reference point for attributing related issues in the series.