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Tetrobol
| Issuer | Siphnos |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Eagle displayed in incuse square, rendered in a bold, schematic archaic style. The bird is shown in profile facing right, with wings partially spread and powerful talons rendered in relief within the deeply cut incuse. A small circular punch mark is visible in the upper left portion of the incuse square. The incuse square itself features a rough granular surface, typical of Siphnian coinage of the late Archaic period. The abbreviation of the civic ethnic ΣΙΦ appears within the field, identifying the issuing city of Siphnos. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (-480) |
| Additional information |
Siphnos had been one of the wealthiest islands in the Aegean, its silver and gold mines funding a treasury at Delphi so lavish it was considered among the finest in the sanctuary. The mines were reportedly flooded — some ancient sources say deliberately, others by misfortune — sometime in the early fifth century, and the island's coinage effectively ceased not long after. A tetrobol from Siphnos dated to around 480 BC sits very close to that terminus, possibly among the final issues before the mint fell silent for generations.