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Tetradrachm - Philados
| Issuer | Abdera |
|---|---|
| Year | 411 BC - 385 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Griffin seated right in high relief, with outstretched wings and curved beak open, the body rendered with careful feather detail along the breast and wings. The creature rests its right forepaw upon a round globular object, while its hindquarters and tail curl beneath. A small figure, possibly a lizard or insect, appears at lower left in the field. The partial legend ΑΒΔΗ is inscribed in Greek characters along the upper right field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΑΒΔΗ |
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| Additional information |
Abdera's tetradrachms from this period were issued under an unusual civic magistrate system in which the issuing official's name appeared on the coinage — "Philados" being one such magistrate. The city on the Thracian coast was a prosperous enough commercial hub, founded by Clazomenian and later Teian colonists, to sustain a high-quality silver coinage well into the fourth century despite the political turbulence of the region following the Peloponnesian War.
The "var." citations against both May and AMNG II suggest a die combination not precisely catalogued in either standard reference — worth noting for specialists tracking the magistrate series.