The Boeotian League was an alliance of sovereign states in Boeotia, a district in east-central Greece, about 550 BC, under the leadership of Thebes. In 431 B.C. it was comprised of eleven groups of sovereign cities and associated townships, each of which elected one Boeotarch or minister of war and foreign affairs. He contributed 60 counselors and several judges to the federal council at Thebes, and supplied a contingent of about 1000 infantry and 100 cavalry to the federal army. To prevent corruption in the central government, there were councils in the individual cities where all important questions of policy had to be submitted for ratification. These local councils, to which the propertied classes alone were eligible, were subdivided into four sections, which took it in turns to vote on all new measures. In 379 B.C. Thebes joined Athens in a successful effort to overturn Spartan supremacy in Greece. The league was then reconstituted into a full democracy, which became prevalent throughout the land: all Boeotians, whatever their property, were members of an assembly convened at Thebes, their vote decided all matters of policy. The seven-man executive (one from each of the then seven districts, of which Thebes controlled three) was directly responsible to the Assembly. As members of the league, the individual cities adopted a common coin-type, which served to distinguish the Boeotian currency from that of all other Greek states. This type is the Boeotian shield, an oval shield with semicircular openings at either side. Boeotia, Tanagra. AR Obol. Early-mid 4th century B.C. Obverse: Boeotian shield. Reverse: Τ-Α Forepart of a horse to right; below, grape bunch. Reference: BCD Boeotia 297. SNG Copenhagen 227. 0.71g; 10mm Let me see those Boeotian Shields!
Lovely example @Pavlos. I would love to find one with the fore part of the horse to compliment my example with a kantheros. BOEOTIA FEDERAL COINAGE AR Hemidrachm OBVERSE: Boeotian shield REVERSE: Kantheros, club of Herakles above, BO to left, I and crescent to right Struck at Thespiae mint 336-315 BC 1.9g, 14mm SNG Copenhagen 176-177
Pav-manian Devil, how do you so consistently bring up and post subjects and coins that I love so much!? Here’s my lone shield
I remember thinking I should pass on this type because it was so simple but not particularly cheap. How do you define 'fine style' when all there is on the coin is a shield and a pot? Fourree hemidrachm Thebes Stater DA IM (ex. Hans M. F. Schulman)
Thebes Ar Stater Magistrate Kalli. Obv Boeotian Shield Rv. Voltule krater HGC 1334 363-338 B.C. 12.35 grms 21mm Photo by W. Hansen
I recently posted this on another thread. I wish I could show it to you in person. It is high relief and looks archaic. @dougsmit asks how to define fine style and I don't know the answer nor why this coin looks so good. In the picture it looks silly, it is thick and tiny and looks very serious in person. BOIOTIA, Thebes. 525-480 BC. AR Hemiobol (0.53 g). Obv: Half Boiotian shield Rev: Square incuse with a recessed large triangle (divided by a line), a small triangle, and a square (divided by a line). Ref: BMC p. 33, 13. Classical Numismatic Group, Triton IX, January 2006, lot 326 (BCD collection) Ex Dr. J. S. Wilkinson Collection (Malter 49, 15 November 1992), lot 422.
Wonderful coin Bing, these obols go for reasonable prices, so who knows it will accompany your kantheros in the future Very nice stater Andres! Very nice coin Ryro! Looking forward to your next post, they are always fun Those are still nice examples, I think the only way these coins can be 'fine style' is the sharpness and detail, see Terence his example below. As usual, wonderful example! That looks like a very interesting coin with good metal. Is it a half shield because it is a half obol?
Yes. A clever way to indicate denomination of small coins for an illiterate population. See: https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=103146 rare tri-hemiobol with three half shields https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=75365 unique tri-tetartemorion or tri-hemiobol with three half shields https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=75370 unique trihemitetartemorion with 1 and 1/2 shields https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=75639 hemiobol with half wheat grain https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=75646 tritetartemorian with three wheat grains All of the links are to the BCD collection of coins of Boeotia. I inspected the lots before the Triton sale. Many extreme rarities. The 1/2 and 1 1/2 shield obverses are very difficult to find!
That is amazing actually, I always wondered how a person could distinguish between the different fractions. Now I understand why most cities and kingdoms switched to bronze coinage for low-valued transactions. That 1 and 1/2 shield coin is great, I hope to have one of these types in my collection ever.
