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Triobol
| Issuer | Argos |
|---|---|
| Year | 330 BC - 270 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a wolf advancing to the left, rendered in bold relief with detailed musculature and prominent open jaws. The animal's head is turned slightly upward, conveying a sense of dynamic motion. The type is characteristic of Argive coinage, where the wolf served as a civic emblem associated with the cult of Apollo Lykeios. The design fills the flan with naturalistic energy, set against a plain field without border or legend. |
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| Reverse description | Large incuse square containing a prominent capital alpha (Α), the initial letter of Argos, flanked by the letters Ι and Ρ (forming the abbreviation ΑΡΓ or ΑΠΡ for the magistrate or city name). Below the alpha, a swimming wolf or dolphin is depicted in miniature relief, with a row of pellets arranged horizontally beneath it, likely representing a wreath or decorative border. The composition is set within a recessed square frame typical of Peloponnesian hammered coinage of this period. |
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| Additional information |
Argos maintained an unusually conservative coinage tradition well into the Hellenistic period, clinging to its archaic wolf's head type long after neighboring Peloponnesian states had adopted portraiture influenced by Macedonian practice. The BCD 1087 reference places this piece within a closely studied hoard group assembled by the late collector known only as BCD, whose Peloponnesos collection remains the definitive reference for regional bronzes and silvers of this period.
The triobol denomination served as the standard judicial payment in classical Greek cities — three obols being the established daily fee for Athenian jurors, a practice Argos likely mirrored.