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Tetradrachm - Oikles
| Issuer | Chios (Ionia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 380 BC - 350 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Sphinx seated to right in three-quarter view, rendered with fine archaic detail; the creature displays a human female head in left profile with elaborately braided hair bound by a diadem, large folded wings rising behind, and a lion's body with raised forepaw. To the left of the sphinx stands a tall amphora, the civic badge of Chios, serving as a secondary symbol in the field. The composition fills the broadly rounded, irregularly shaped flan with confident, high-relief workmanship characteristic of fourth-century Ionian die-cutting. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (380 BC - 350 BC) |
| Additional information |
Chios operated as a prosperous commercial hub in the eastern Aegean throughout the fourth century BC, and its silver coinage circulated widely in trade networks stretching from the Black Sea to Egypt. The island had backed Athens during the Peloponnesian War but revolted in 412 BC — a defection that severely damaged Athenian naval power and accelerated the eventual Spartan victory. This tetradrachm dates to the recovery period following that conflict, when Chian merchants were re-establishing the island's independent commercial reach.
The magistrate name Oikles places this issue within a specific administrative sequence documented across the SNG Copenhagen grouping, useful for relative dating within the series.