This silver coin was minted in the ancient city of Histiaea on the island of Euboea (modern Greece). It represents one of the important civic coinages produced in the Hellenistic Greek world before Roman domination of the region.
Coin Description:
Front side: Portrait of the Nymph Histiaea wearing a decorative wreath made of branches and grape clusters
Back side: Inscription "IETIAI - EQN" with a depiction of the nymph, likely representing the city's patron deity
Technical Details:
Material composition: Silver
Denomination: Tetrobol (worth four obols, a medium-value coin in ancient Greek monetary systems)
Reference number: BM-56
Weight: 2.27 grams
Date of minting: 3rd century BCE until 146 BCE
Historical Significance:
This coin was produced in Histiaea, an important city on Euboea (eastern Greece), during the final period of Greek independence before complete Roman control. The tetrobol represented significant purchasing power in daily commerce, equivalent to roughly half a day's wages for skilled labor. The coin's production ceased around 146 BCE when Rome definitively established control over Greece, marking the end of independent Greek civic coinage in many regions.
This silver coin was minted in the ancient city of Histiaea on the island of Euboea (modern Greece). It represents one of the important civic coinages produced in the Hellenistic Greek world before Roman domination of the region.
Coin Description:
Front side: Portrait of the Nymph Histiaea wearing a decorative wreath made of branches and grape clusters
Back side: Inscription "IETIAI - EQN" with a depiction of the nymph, likely representing the city's patron deity
Technical Details:
Material composition: Silver
Denomination: Tetrobol (worth four obols, a medium-value coin in ancient Greek monetary systems)
Reference number: BM-56
Weight: 2.27 grams
Date of minting: 3rd century BCE until 146 BCE
Historical Significance:
This coin was produced in Histiaea, an important city on Euboea (eastern Greece), during the final period of Greek independence before complete Roman control. The tetrobol represented significant purchasing power in daily commerce, equivalent to roughly half a day's wages for skilled labor. The coin's production ceased around 146 BCE when Rome definitively established control over Greece, marking the end of independent Greek civic coinage in many regions.
