Olbia, bronze coin — Archer with bow case kneeling to shoot (CN type 22870)
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
c. 325–320 BC
Issuing entity
Olbia PonticaCoin in bronze struck at Olbia, dated c. 325–320 BC. Corpus Nummorum, the online type corpus of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, records it as CN type 22870 (period: Hellenistic Period; issuing authority type: city).
Obverse: Head of Demeter wearing corn wreath around turreted crown, left. Reverse: Archer with bow case kneeling to shoot, left. Legend: ΟΛΒΙΟ ΣΩΣΤΡΑ. Measured specimens give a mean weight of 4.75 g (mean of 6 recorded specimens) and a diameter of 18–19 mm (from 6 recorded specimens). Published references cited by the corpus: Anochin, Antičnye monety Severnogo Pričernomor‘ja, Kiev 2011, nr. 222; Price, Sylloge nummorum Graecorum 9 The British Museum 1. The Black Sea, 1993, nr. 536-537; Stancomb, The William Stancomb collection of coins of the Black Sea region, 2000, nr. 402-403; Abramzon and Frolova, Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. Russland. Staatliches Historisches Museum Moskau. Münzen des nördlichen Schwarzmeergebietes, Berlin-Boston 2019, nr. 1299–1324; Stolba, 'Archers' of the Blessed City: City's Deliverance in the Coinage of Early Hellenistic Olbia 10, 2015, p. 44, nr. 3.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 7
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 5
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Pontic Olbia was an ancient Hellenic city situated on the shore of the Southern Bug estuary, historically known as Hypanis, near modern Parutyne in Ukraine. Founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists from Miletus, the settlement developed into a major trading harbour on the Black Sea. Its port served as a key emporium facilitating trade between Greece and Scythia, exporting items such as cereals, fish, and slaves while importing Attic goods.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- bronze
- Recorded diameter
- 18–19 mm (from 6 recorded specimens)
- Recorded mean weight
- 4.75 g (mean of 6 recorded specimens)
Technical characteristics
- Mint
- Olbia
- Authority type
- City
Design
- Obverse type
- Head of Demeter wearing corn wreath around turreted crown, left
- Reverse type
- Archer with bow case kneeling to shoot, left.
- Reverse legend
- ΟΛΒΙΟ ΣΩΣΤΡΑ
Identification
- Period
- Hellenistic 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/22870
- Type corpus identifier
- CN type 22870
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
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographynr. 222
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographynr. 536-537
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographynr. 402-403
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographynr. 1299–1324
- Corpus Nummorum bibliographyp. 44, nr. 3
Research required
- Photograph reuse terms to be confirmed with the holding institution