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Tritartemorion
| Issuer | Cranii (Elis) |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 300 BC |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Facing Gorgoneion depicted full face, occupying the entire field of the flan. The apotropaic visage features wide-set eyes, a broad flat nose, and slightly parted lips, rendered in a archaic to early classical Greek style. The head is framed by a wild mass of serpentine or curly hair radiating outward, characteristic of Gorgon iconography in 4th-century BCE Greek coinage. The bold, high-relief modeling fills the irregularly shaped flan to its edges, leaving no room for legend or border. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (400 BC - 300 BC) |
| Additional information |
Cranii was one of the four principal cities of Cephallenia, and its autonomous coinage — produced sporadically through the fourth century — reflects the island's persistent effort to maintain civic identity despite Corinthian commercial dominance of the surrounding sea lanes. The tritartemorion, worth three-quarters of an obol, was among the smallest fractional denominations struck in the Greek world, and Cranii's choice to produce at this denomination suggests active small-transaction commerce rather than prestige minting.
The BMC Greek series records very few examples, and the surviving population remains thin.