Greece (Gaul) 121-82 BC Obole of Marseille, Head of Lacydon to the left - MA (c.121-82) VF

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Superb silver obol minted by the Greek city of Massalia (modern-day Marseille) between 121 and 82 BC, a period corresponding to the establishment of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis in southern Gaul. Massalia, a Phocaean colony founded around 600 BC, retained its monetary autonomy and continued to strike its own coinage.

The obverse features the head of Lacydon facing left — the legendary founder of the first Phocaean settlement on the site of Marseille, whose name also designated the city's old port. The reverse depicts a four-spoked wheel with the letters M and A in two opposite quadrants, an abbreviation for ΜΑΣΣΑΛΙΑ (Massalia), a recurring monetary symbol of the city and a probable evocation of the Celtic solar wheel, testifying to the cultural exchanges between Greek colonists and Gallic populations.

Massalia was one of the most prosperous Greek cities in the West. Its coinage, active for over five centuries, bears witness to its commercial influence in the Western Mediterranean and Gaul. The wheel obols constitute one of the most iconic series of late Massaliote coinage, influenced by surrounding Celtic motifs.

Small module coin, irregular flan typical of ancient Hellenistic coinage. Hammer-struck. This obol represented the smallest subdivision of the Massaliote drachm.

Condition: EF (Extremely Fine) — sharp details for this type of ancient coin, homogeneous ancient patina.

 

 

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