Extremely rare and among the finest known drachms from Barke
Lot 159
KYRENAICA. Barke. Circa 480-435 BC. Drachm (Silver, 17 mm, 3.44 g, 6 h), 'Asiatic' standard. [B]-A Silphion plant with two pairs of leaves and fruits. Rev. B-A-P-K Bearded head of Zeus-Ammon to right, with large ram's horn over his ear, within pelleted circle; all within incuse square. BMC -, cf. 11 and pl. XXXIV, 9 (same reverse die, but anepigraphic obverse). BMFA -. SNG Copenhagen -, cf. 1285 (same reverse die, but anepigraphic obverse). Extremely rare and among the finest known drachms from Barke. An exceptionally attractive piece with a beautiful late archaic head of Zeus Ammon. Minor edge cracks and with some die wear on the obverse, otherwise, about extremely fine.

From a Swiss collection, formed before 2005.

According to Herodotus, Barka was founded around the middle of the 6th century BC by the brothers of the Kyrenaean king Arkesilaos II, who had quarreled with him. The city flourished rapidly due to trade with Silphion and developed into the main rival of its mother city, which it apparently surpassed in importance in the second half of the 5th century BC. Its decline began with the establishment of its port as Ptolemais by Ptolemy III (246-222 BC). Subsequently, the inland city of Barka declined to the status of a vicus in Roman times.
Estimate:
3500 CHF
Starting price:
2800 CHF
Hammer price:
9000 CHF
Bid increment:
Closed
Minimum bid:
Closed
Number of bids:
Time left:
All winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your online experience. By using our website, you accept our data privacy policy and the use of cookies.
Cart
Disconnected

Connection lost

You have lost your connection. Because we present current bids in real-time, your browser may display outdated or incorrect bidding information.

Please check your network connection and try again. We recommend refreshing the website to display the accurate bidding information again.