THRACE. Abdera. Circa 473/0-449/8 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 28 mm, 15.11 g, 9 h), Phittalos, magistrate. Griffin seated to left, right foreleg raised; to left, scarab drawing a ball by its hind legs. Rev. EΠI Φ-IT[T]-ΑΛ-Ο around linear quadripartite square; all within shallow incuse square. AMNG II 59. BMC 23. May, Abdera, 129 (A108/P104). Struck on a broad flan. very fine.
In mythology, Abdera was named after Abderus, a beloved companion of Heracles who perished after the hero captured the flesh-eating mares of Diomedes. In the historical record the site on the Thracian coast that would become Abdera was first settled in 654 B.C. by colonists from Clazomenae. That early effort failed, evidently because of conflicts with warlike Thracians. One hundred and ten years later, in 544, a new colonization effort was made by citizens of another Ionian city, Teos, who under the cover of night abandoned their homes rather than live under newly imposed Persian rule. When the Abderites began to produce coins, they chose to portray a griffin, as it was familiar from the coins of their mother-city. No doubt symbolically, the griffin faces left on issues of Abdera and faces right on those of Teos. Silver, fish, wine and grain were among the commodities that allowed Abdera to accumulate its astonishing wealth. The people of Abdera had a longstanding conflict with the Greeks on the nearby island of Thasos, as they competed for control of trade in the Thracian hinterland. It has been suggested that in 491 the Abderites fabricated a rumour that the Thasians were planning a revolt against the authority of Persia. Consequently, Darius forced the Thasians to tear down their walls and to deliver their ships to Abdera. In 463/2 Abdera again was able to profit from the misfortunes of the Thasians when their revolt against Athens was crushed. Abdera's wealth is evident not only from the large quantity of silver coins it produced and exported – often to the Egyptian delta – but also from the records of the Delian League. During the period 453 to 432 Abdera contributed annually about 15 talents to the league, suggesting its total payments may have been surpassed only by Aegina, Byzantium and Thasos.