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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Abdera |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | May, Abdera#54, Jameson#1028 |
| Obverse description | Griffin seated to left upon a dotted exergual line, its body rendered in archaic style with prominent haunches and folded wings curving upward; the right forepaw raised in a vigilant pose. The legend XPA appears in Greek characters arranged around the field to the left of the type, within a border of raised dots. The composition reflects the early Classical die-cutting tradition of Thrace, combining bold relief with fine anatomical detail in the creature's musculature and wing feathers. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Abdera's tetradrachms of this period were struck under Thracian commercial pressure, the city functioning as a key conduit for silver moving between the Aegean and the interior. The mint was active enough by the early fifth century that Abdera developed its own weight standard — slightly lighter than the Attic — which this piece reflects. The magistrate name carried on issues from this decade served an accountability function unique among northern Aegean mints of the period.
May's die study remains the foundational reference; his numbering for this type places it among the earliest securely attributed issues following the city's refoundation by Teos refugees around 545 BC.