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© Museu Arqueològic Comarcal de Banyoles
Omeka ID 3573
Cova del Reclau Viver
Protohistoria y mundo íbero

drachma of Emporion

MACB 329-004

Object type
drachma
Production date
-250 / -200
Fabric
-
Museum
Museu Arqueològic Comarcal de Banyoles
Culture
Protohistoria y mundo íbero
Discovery location
Cova del Reclau Viver
Materials
silver
Township
Serinyà
Technique
minting
Where is it?
-
Dimensions
18 mm diàmetre
Description
Drachma coined in the Greek colony of Emporion. On the obverse is the head of the nymph Arethusa surrounded by dolphins, while on the reverse is Pegasus, the winged horse, with his head transformed into a human figure who grabs his foot with his hands. This is interpreted by some historians as the representation of the hero Chrysaor. At the bottom of the reverse the arched legend reads in Greek εμποριτων (Emporiton). Emporitan drachmas responded to the standards of Greek currency, both in terms of metrology and iconography, which was inspired by the models of the Corinthian colony of Syracuse (Sicily). This coin was found in the Reclau Viver de Serinyà Cave, along with seven other drachmas and four Emporitan divisors. They were voluntarily hidden in the late 3rd century BC, perhaps within the framework of the Second Punic War, a conflict in which the city of Empúries precisely played a key role in facilitating the landing of Roman troops in 218 BC.

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