Catalog
Trihemiobol
| Issuer | Delphi |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 485 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Trihemiobol (1/4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Head of a ram in right profile, rendered in archaic style with boldly modelled curling horn and circular eye visible in relief. The design occupies the full flan, with the muzzle truncated at the lower right. The surface bears the characteristic rough texture of early Phokian silver coinage, with no legend or additional devices in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Two dolphins depicted back to back, each swimming upward with tails meeting at the base and heads facing outward, set symmetrically within a square incuse punch. The incuse border is dotted on at least one side, as visible on the flan, consistent with the early archaic punching technique employed at Delphi. No legend is present; the design is purely emblematic, the dolphin being a sacred symbol associated with Apollo and the Delphic sanctuary. |
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| Additional information |
Delphi's early autonomous coinage is directly tied to the sanctuary's control over Apollonian cult finances — the oracle generated enormous wealth through dedications, consultation fees, and interstate gifts, and small-denomination silver like this facilitated transactions within the temenos economy. The trihemiobol, worth one and a half obols, was a practical unit for minor ritual expenditures.
The Svronos die classification for this type documents only a handful of confirmed specimens.