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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Barke |
|---|---|
| Year | 485 BC - 475 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Silphium plant depicted frontally in the center of the field, its distinctive forked stalk rising vertically with broad, spreading leaves to either side; a round fruit or seed head flanks the plant on each side. The composition is rendered in archaic incuse relief characteristic of early Libyan colonial coinage, with bold, stylized forms filling the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ꓭ |
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| Additional information |
Barke was a Greek colony in Cyrenaica — modern eastern Libya — founded around 560 BC by dissidents from Cyrene. The city maintained enough independence to strike its own coinage, which is remarkable given Cyrene's regional dominance. Barke fell to Persian forces under Aryandes, the satrap of Egypt, sometime around 512 BC following a siege; the city was partially depopulated, yet managed to recover sufficiently to resume civic coinage within a generation.
This tetradrachm falls within that recovery window. BMC Greek #1 placement confirms it as among the earliest recognized specimens from the series.