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Tetradrachm - Ariston Olynthos
| Issuer | Chalkidean League |
|---|---|
| Year | 355 BC - 352 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing right, rendered in fine Classical style with idealized youthful features. The god's hair falls in long wavy locks over the neck and is bound with a laurel wreath composed of distinct leaves. The portrait is executed with high sculptural relief, characteristic of the finest Chalkidean coinage of the mid-4th century BC. The smooth, polished field around the effigy is devoid of legend or additional devices. |
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| Reverse description | A kithara (lyre) with six strings displayed facing, its resonating body flanked by symmetrical curved arms surmounted by a crossbar, rendered in precise detail. The ethnic legend ΧΑΛΚΙΔΕΩΝ is distributed across the field around the lyre, flanking it on both sides in large Greek letters. The magistrate's name ΕΠΙ ΑΡΙΣΤΩΝΟΣ appears in smaller lettering along the lower exergual area beneath the instrument, identifying the issuing authority. The overall composition is bold and well-centered, reflecting the strong die-cutting tradition of Olynthos. |
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| Additional information |
The Chalkidian League was dissolved by force in 379 BC when Sparta, acting on complaints from Amphipolis and Akanthos, besieged and destroyed Olynthos and formally disbanded the koinon. That the League was later reconstituted and striking silver at this weight standard into the 350s reflects how thoroughly Spartan dominance collapsed after Leuktra in 371 BC. The magistrate name Ariston appears on a narrow group of issues, placing this tetradrachm within the League's final decade before Philip II of Macedon razed Olynthos permanently in 348 BC — after which no further coinage was struck.