Catalog
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| Issuer | Priene (Ionia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 290 BC - 170 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena facing right, wearing a Corinthian helmet pushed back on the head, rendered in a bold Hellenistic style typical of Ionian civic bronzes. The facial features are modeled with moderate relief, exhibiting stylized curls of hair visible beneath the helmet brim. The border consists of a dotted circle enclosing the central type. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Priene's civic bronze coinage was minted in a city perpetually overshadowed by its neighbors — Miletus to the south and the rising power of Pergamon inland. The city had been refounded around 350 BC on its current site, largely bankrolled by Mausolos of Caria, a patronage that left Priene politically encumbered for generations. This issue falls within the period when the city oscillated between Seleucid and Pergamene influence, its mint output modest and local in circulation.
The Lysago designation in the BMC reference points to a magistrate-signed series, a common administrative practice among Ionian cities for tracking mint responsibility.