Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC

Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC

$48.50
$48.50
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Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
  • Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC
Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC

Dolphins of Olbia: Ancient Proto Money of the Black Sea, 5th Century BC

$48.50
$48.50

The Greeks of ancient Olbia, on the western coast of the Black Sea, did not mint round coins for currency. Instead, they cast bronze proto-money in the shape of bottle-nosed dolphins found in the Black Sea. Dolphins - delphinus in Greek - were sacred animals in Greek mythology.

Dating to the 5th century BC, these dolphin bronzes are relatively crude, but their form is unmistakable. Each piece is unique - no two are alike, with wide variation in shape and detail.

Genuine piece of history

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$48.50
$48.50