Abydus (Alexander the Great), silver, drachms (325-301 BCE)
From SILVER
325 BC - 301 BC Silver 30,907 kg
Description
| ObverseInscription or printing placed on the obverse.: | Head of Heracles right, wearing Nemean lion skin headdress. Linear border. |
| ReverseInscription or printing placed on the reverse.: | AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (Greek).Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre |
Mint and issuing power
| MintIdentifies the place of manufacture or issue of a numismatic object.: | Abydus | Ancient regionAncient region.: | Troas | Modern countryModern country: Turkey | AuthorityIdentifies the issuing power. The authority can be "pretended" when the name or the portrait of X is on the coin but he/she was not the issuing power. It can also be "uncertain" when there is no mention of X on the coin but he/she was the issuing power according to the historical sources: | Alexander III the Great (Argead king, 336-323 BC) |
Chronology
| FromIdentifies the initial date in a range assigned in a numismatic context. | 325 BC | toIdentifies the final date in a range assigned in a numismatic context.. | 301 BC | PeriodTime period of the numismatic object.: Classical and Hellenistic |
Physical description
| MetalThe physical material (usually metal) from which an object is made.: | Silver 
|
Median weightMedian of the weights of numismatic objects (in grams). in grams | 4.15 | DenominationTerm indicating the value of a numismatic object. Examples: tetradrachm, chalkous, denarius.: | drachma
|
StandardStandard.: | Attic |
Image
RQEMH 207 - Abydus, silver, drachma, 325-301 BC.jpg [1]
References
| Die study referencePublication of the study: | Thompson 19911Thompson 1991 | ||
| Coin series referenceReference to coin series study: | Price 19912Price 1991, n° 1499, 1501-1503, 1508-1517, P20-P23, RQEMH3RQEMH, n° 207 | ||
| Coin series web referenceCoin series web references: | |||
Obverse dies distribution
| FrequencyFrequency of specimen in distribution. ᵖ | Number of obversesNumber of obverse dies. ᵖ (o) | % (o) | Number of coinsNumber of coins. (n) | % (n) | Die nameName(s) of the die(s). |
| 1 | 107 | 42.13 | 107 | 18.32 | 9, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 25, 26, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 41, 46, 47, 56, 59, 65, 69, 79, 84, 95, 116, 118, 121, 123, 133, 134, 153, 154, 155, 187, 188, 189, 190, 193, 194, 196, 198, 199, 201, 202, 209, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 226, 228, 231, 232, 233, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 269, 275, 276, 279, 288, 289, 305, 308, 309, 313, 314, 317, 320, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 358, 375, 379, 381, 385, 387, 389, 392, 393, 394, 401 |
| 2 | 78 | 30.71 | 156 | 26.71 | 8, 10, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 36, 40, 42, 44, 45, 48, 53, 54, 55, 81, 91, 93, 94, 113, 114, 115, 117, 124, 132, 149, 152, 182, 183, 191, 192, 195, 197, 200, 204, 208, 210, 220, 222, 223, 224, 225, 230, 234, 250, 253, 272, 274, 277, 280, 281, 285, 294, 297, 298, 299, 304, 306, 307, 310, 311, 318, 319, 321, 352, 376, 377, 378, 380, 382, 383, 386, 388, 390, 391, 402 |
| 3 | 41 | 16.14 | 123 | 21.06 | 12, 14, 16, 24, 32, 43, 58, 82, 90, 92, 120, 125, 150, 175, 184, 185, 186, 217, 218, 219, 221, 229, 266, 267, 271, 273, 286, 287, 295, 296, 302, 303, 312, 316, 350, 351, 353, 357, 360, 384, 403 |
| 4 | 9 | 3.54 | 36 | 6.16 | 31, 66, 112, 246, 249, 251, 252, 300, 315 |
| 5 | 8 | 3.15 | 40 | 6.85 | 11, 37, 57, 203, 248, 282, 301, 359 |
| 6 | 4 | 1.57 | 24 | 4.11 | 49, 50, 122, 227 |
| 7 | 1 | 0.39 | 7 | 1.2 | 290 |
| 9 | 2 | 0.79 | 18 | 3.08 | 18, 77 |
| 12 | 1 | 0.39 | 12 | 2.05 | 355 |
| 14 | 1 | 0.39 | 14 | 2.4 | 60 |
| 16 | 1 | 0.39 | 16 | 2.74 | 354 |
| 31 | 1 | 0.39 | 31 | 5.31 | 356 |
| Total | 254 of 254 | 99.98 | 584 of 584 | 99.99 |
Reverse dies distribution
no distribution is available
Quantification
| Number of obversesNumber of obverse dies. ᵖ (o) | 254 | Number of singletons (o1)The number of singleton coins. ᵖ | 107 |
| Number of reverse diesNumber of reverse dies. (r) | 407 | Number of coinsNumber of coins. (n) | 584 |
| Coins per obverse dieNumber of coins per obverse die. (n/o) | 2.3 | Coins per reverse dieNumber of coins per reverse die. (n/r) | 1.43 |
| Reverse per obverse ratioRatio of obverse dies divided by reverse dies. (r/o) | 1.6 | Percentage of singletons (o1)number of coins (n) divided by the number of singletons (o1) ᵖ | 42.13 % |
| Original number of dies (O) (Carter 1983 formula)The estimation of the number of coins according to Carter 1983 ᵖ | 372.37 | Coins struck if 20,000 as average productivity per dieCoins made if the average productivity for obverses (according to Carter) is 20,000. ᵖ | 7,447,400 |
| Original number of dies (O) (Esty 2011 formula)The estimation of the number of coins according to the singleton formula in Esty 2011 ᵖ (O) | 449.5 | Survival rate if 20,000 as average productivity per dieSurvival rate if average productivity is 20,000. ᵖ | 0.00008 |
| Coverage (o = % of O) (Esty 1984 formula)Esty 1984 - coverage (% of O) ᵖ (o = % of O) | 81.68% | Die productivity if survival rate 1/2,000Average productivity if survival rate is 1/2,000. ᵖ | 3,136.67 |
| Weight of silver (in kg) if 20,000 coins per die (O = Carter formula)Carter 1983 * Median weight * 20000 (*10 if gold or electrum) ᵖ | 30,907 kg <br /> 30,907 kg | Die productivity if survival rate 1/5,000Average productivity if survival rate is 1/5,000. ᵖ | 7,841.66 |
Remarks
Most likely one single workstation Certainly military
References
- ^ Thompson, Margaret (1991), Alexander's Drachm Mints. II : Lampsacus and Abydus, New York.
- ^ Price, Martin Jessop (1991), The Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus: a British Museum Catalogue, 2 vol., Zürich-London, 637 p., 637 p., clix pl.
- ^ Callataÿ, François de (1997), Recueil quantitatif des émissions monétaires hellénistiques, Numismatique Romaine, Wetteren, X + 341 p.
