THESSALY, Larissa AE Dichalkon. 3.42g, 17.2mm MINTED: THESSALY, Larissa, 2nd century BC REF: BCD Thessaly II 394.4; HGC 4, 534 OBVERSE: Head of Artemis (or nymph Larissa) right, monogram behind.

REVERSE: ΛΑΡΙΣΑΙ-ΩΝ, Apollo, naked, standing right, shooting arrow; to right, monogram.

Provenance:

Ex Auctiones GmbH Auction 20 (17 Nov 2013), Lot 19

Grade/Notes:

Good Fine. Dark brown patina. Scarce.

Historical Notes:

Thessaly in central Greece was a region of fertile, grassy plains ringed by mountains, with Mount Olympus serving as a backdrop.  Unlike other Greek regions which tended to cultivate primarily olives and grapes, Thessaly was best known for its magnificent horses, cattle, agriculture, and sports such as bull-wrestling.  Larissa was the largest and most powerful city in Thessaly for much of its history, and also one of its most prolific mints, producing a large quantity of coinage between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, of particular note their silver drachms featuring the facing head of the eponymous nymph Larissa on the obverse and a horse on the reverse.