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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Dikaia (Macedon) |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | A bull standing to the right in profile, its head lowered toward the ground as if grazing, rendered in a bold, archaic style characteristic of early Macedonian coinage. The musculature of the animal is depicted with careful attention to naturalistic detail, with the tail curled upward. A dotted border encircles the design within the circular field. The composition reflects the artistic conventions of early fifth-century BC Greek colonial mints in the Macedonian region. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An octopus displayed frontally within a shallow incuse square, its eight tentacles symmetrically curling outward from the central body in a highly stylized, ornamental arrangement. The incuse technique is characteristic of early Greek coinage of the western Macedonian colonial tradition. The recessed square frame contrasts with the raised relief of the octopus motif, creating a striking visual effect. The design is crisp and well-centered, consistent with the finest examples of archaic Greek die-cutting. |
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| Additional information |
Dikaia was a small Greek colonial city on the Chalcidic peninsula, and its silver coinage from this period is among the rarest products of early Macedonian regional minting. The city's independent issue was short-lived; Dikaia disappears from the numismatic record well before the end of the fifth century, almost certainly absorbed into the expanding political orbit of larger Chalcidic powers. Fewer than a handful of specimens are documented across major collections, making the Boston MFA example essentially the reference coin for the type.