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Trihemiobol

Issuer Delphi
Year 450 BC - 400 BC
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Weight 1.3 g
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Reverse description Eagle's head facing full-front within a shallow incuse square, the raptor's hooked beak and large staring eyes rendered in bold relief. The feathered breast and folded wing tips are visible to either side of the centrally placed head, conveying a commanding frontal aspect. The incuse square border is clearly defined, consistent with contemporary Delphic minting technique of the late fifth century BC.
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Edge Plain
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Additional information

Delphi's coinage was never primarily a commercial instrument — it existed to serve the sanctuary of Apollo, facilitating transactions among pilgrims, theoroi, and the administrators of the Amphictyonic League who managed the sanctuary's considerable wealth. The trihemiobol circulated within this peculiar religious economy, handling small dedications and fees at a site that attracted traffic from across the Greek world. Delphi struck in quantity only during periods of active building or festival administration, and the fifth-century issues fall squarely within the era of the sanctuary's greatest political influence following the Persian Wars.