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Drachm
| Issuer | Gortyna |
|---|---|
| Year | 250 BC - 200 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.94 g |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing right, rendered in fine high relief with richly detailed flowing hair and a full curling beard. The effigy displays the characteristic majestic physiognomy associated with Cretan die-engraving of the Hellenistic period. The hair is bound by a laurel wreath, with individual leaves and locks rendered with considerable artisanal skill. The portrait fills the flan with imposing presence, surrounded by a dotted border. No legend appears in the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | ΓΟΡΤΥΝΙΩΝ |
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| Additional information |
Gortyna was one of Crete's most powerful poleis during this period, and its coinage reflects an independent mint tradition distinct from the island's other major issuers. The city's drachms from this era were produced during a time of shifting Cretan alliances, as the island's city-states navigated pressures from Macedonian successor kingdoms and increasingly assertive Roman interest in the eastern Mediterranean.
Weight variation among Gortynian silver of this period can be significant, as the city followed a local Cretan standard rather than the Aeginetan or Attic systems dominant elsewhere in Greece.