Chersonesus Thracica, 1/8 Hekte — Quadripartite incuse square (CN type 20374)
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
c. 515–493 BC
Issuing entity
Thrace1/8 Hekte in silver struck at Chersonesus Thracica in Thrace, dated c. 515–493 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 20374 (period: Archaic/Classical Period; issuing authority type: league).
Obverse: Forepart of a prancing lion, right, head left. Reverse: Quadripartite incuse square, divided by two crossed lines. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 0.33 g (mean of 2 recorded specimens) and a diameter of 6–7 mm (from 2 recorded specimens). Published references cited by the corpus: Hoover, Handbook of coins of Macedon and its neighbors. Part II: Thrace, Skythia, and Taurike: sixth to first centuries BC, Lancaster, Pa. London 2017, p. 94, nr. 1436; van Alfen, Ambiguities in Monetary Authority: the Archaic Coinages of the Thracian Chersones 77, Berlin, p. 153, nr. 46-48; Tzvetkova, The war over the Chersonese. Zur Chronologie und Periodisierung des athenisch-odrysischen Konflikts um die thrakische Chersones, Αθήνα 2007, p. 17-31.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 5
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 3
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This silver fractional coin was minted in Chersonesus Thracica, the ancient name for the Thracian Chersonese in East Thrace. Located along the Dardanelles and projecting into the Aegean Sea, the peninsula was a strategically significant territory protected in antiquity by the Long Wall. The piece dates to circa 515–493 BC during the Archaic to Classical period, when it was issued under the authority of a league.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- silver
- Denomination
- 1/8 Hekte
- Recorded diameter
- 6–7 mm (from 2 recorded specimens)
- Recorded mean weight
- 0.33 g (mean of 2 recorded specimens)
Technical characteristics
- Mint
- Chersonesus Thracica
- Region
- Thrace
- Authority type
- League
Design
- Obverse type
- Forepart of a prancing lion, right, head left.
- Reverse type
- Quadripartite incuse square, divided by two crossed lines.
Identification
- Period
- Archaic/Classical Period
- How to identify
- Check the mint name or ethnic, the reverse type and the legend together, then compare weight and module; types from the same mint often differ only in legend arrangement, magistrate names or control marks.
- Type corpus record
- https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/types/20374
- Type corpus identifier
- CN type 20374
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Recorded
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Recorded
- Weight
- Recorded
- Mint or printer
- Recorded
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Recorded
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographyp. 94, nr. 1436
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographyp. 153, nr. 46-48
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographyp. 17-31
Research required
- Legends not transcribed in the source corpus
- Photograph reuse terms to be confirmed with the holding institution