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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Akanthos |
|---|---|
| Year | 525 BC - 470 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A lion in right profile attacks a kneeling bull, seizing the animal's back with its claws and biting into the hindquarters in a vigorous predatory scene rendered in high archaic relief. The bull collapses to the right, its head turned back in distress, with exaggerated musculature conveying dynamic tension. A dotted border frames the central field, below which a ground line separates the primary scene from a lower register containing a stylised acanthus flower, the civic emblem of Akanthos. The overall composition reflects the bold, naturalistic yet schematic artistry characteristic of northern Aegean coinage of the late Archaic period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A deep quadripartite incuse square dominates the reverse, produced by the hammer blow of a four-part punch during the striking process. The square is divided by raised ridges into four equal recessed compartments, each presenting a granular, roughly textured surface typical of early hammered coinage. The incuse technique is characteristic of Macedonian and northern Aegean issues of the Archaic period, serving as the functional counterpart to the elaborately engraved obverse die. No inscription or additional device is present. |
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| Additional information |
Akanthos, a Macedonian coastal colony founded by Andrians, derived its wealth largely from timber and silver from the nearby Pangaion hills — the same mountain range that would later fund Philip II's military campaigns. The city minted heavily during the late Archaic period, and the Akanthian tetradrachm series represents one of the earliest and most consistent coinage programs in the northern Aegean. Persian forces under Xerxes cut a canal through the Akanthos peninsula around 480 BC to avoid rounding Mount Athos; the city's cooperation with Persia during this period almost certainly disrupted mint output.
The SNG ANS 7 reference places this piece within a well-documented die study sequence.