Pages: 122-131

The analysis of published materials i. e. the late archaic period’s moulded bronze item in form of a prolat etrapezium (No 1), “heavy dolphins” (No 2—4) and a large as with the icon of Athena and the inscription ЕПIПAYΣA (No 5, b. 464,9 g) brought to several final propositions.
The trapezium item, like similar units, is understood as a singular form of money. The icons of two its sides are interpreted, as contrasted to existing opinions, as the image of a wolf’s head and of a branch of laurel.
From the standpoint of semantics it looks like symbols of Apollo — Licaon, who was the patron of the first Greek colonists of Asia Minor in the Northern Black Sea shore. The comparison of the weight data of the rarely found in excavations “heavy dolphins” (No 2 — 9 g, No 3 — 51.4 g, No 4 — 72 g) and of weights of published analogs (see Fig. I) has brought to the decision that the their par value should be determined as obol, which weight varies within 50—100 g. The comparison of diameters and weights of Olbian coins’ series of great values with types “Athena — wheel” (480—450 B. C.) showed that, by almost equal diameters and outlaying weights, it is impossible to consider them as different variants, due to opinion of several numismatists, of high-order value — pentobols, tetrobols, diobols, and it is necessary to consider it as an obol, which weight gradually reduced (see Table II). High weights of initial as issues with Athena are explained by low prices of copper in that period. The rise in price of copper in the second half of 5th century B. C. during the last emissions of those coins, and increasing control over consumption of the monetary copper led to the fixing of a particular weight standard for the superior value, equal on an average to 122 g.

Keywords: moulded coins, wolf, laurel, Apollo, dolphin, Athena, obol, copper, Pausanias

Information about author:

Vladimir Alexeev (Odessa, Ukraine). Candidate of Arts Studies. The Odessa State A. V. Nezhdanova Musical Academy
E-mail: [email protected]