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Orbis Collectibles

Atarneus, bronze coin — Coiled serpent (CN type 21358)

DocumentedSupported by at least one credible specialist source.

Record status

Individual type · research required

Period

c. 400 BC

Issuing entity

Mysia

Coin in bronze struck at Atarneus in Mysia, dated c. 400 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 21358 (period: Classical Period; issuing authority type: city).

Obverse: Corinthian helmet left. Below, shield upper part. Reverse: Coiled serpent, right. Legend: ΑΤΑ[Ρ]. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 1.45 g (from 1 recorded specimen) and a diameter of 10 mm (from 1 recorded specimen). Published references cited by the corpus: Plankenhorn, Münzen aus Mysien, München 2022, p. 33, nr. 3.

Evidence at a glance

Linked sources
3
Photograph views
1
Catalogue references
1

Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.

Historical context

Atarneus was an ancient Greek city in the region of Aeolis in Asia Minor, situated on the mainland opposite the island of Lesbos. Herodotus recorded that the city and its territory were given to the Chians by Cyrus the Great. Later occupied by exiles from Chios, the city was besieged for eight months by Dercylidas, who placed Dracon of Pellene in charge, before it flowered in the 4th century BCE under the rule of Hermias of Atarneus.

Physical characteristics

Material
bronze
Recorded diameter
10 mm (from 1 recorded specimens)
Recorded mean weight
1.45 g (mean of 1 recorded specimens)

Technical characteristics

Mint
Atarneus
Region
Mysia
Authority type
City

Design

Obverse type
Corinthian helmet left. Below, shield upper part.
Reverse type
Coiled serpent, right.
Reverse legend
ΑΤΑ[Ρ]

Identification

Period
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/21358
Type corpus identifier
CN type 21358

Documentation checklist

Denomination
Research required
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

Research required

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