Research Notes
This section contains research notes which are downloadable as PDFs
Dating the Destruction of Sybaris
This note reassesses the traditional 510 BC date for the destruction of Sybaris, a key reference point for dating South Italian incuse coinage. It argues that this date is far less secure than typically assumed because it depends on a reconstructed chronological chain in Diodorus Siculus linking Sybaris’ fall to the later foundation of Thurii. The synchronisms between Athenian archon lists and Roman consular fasti conflict by several years, and Diodorus’ temporal markers describe sequence rather than measurable duration. When these uncertainties are accounted for, the destruction of Sybaris is better expressed as a range, approximately 517–510 BC.
The Case Against a Sybarite Hemi-obol
This note examines whether Sybaris minted a hemiobol in the late Archaic period and concludes that no such denomination existed. Although some very light obols (around 0.2 g) appear in the record and are occasionally labelled as hemiobols in auction catalogues, analysis of weight distributions shows no bimodal clustering that would indicate two denominations. Comparative evidence from Metapontion indicates similar manufacturing variability without introducing smaller fractions. The wide weight variation is best explained by flan‑production processes and seigniorage‑driven batch preparation rather than intentional denomination splitting.
Examination of the Use of Hubbing in Incuse Coinage
The use of hubbing in the production of Greek coinage has been debated for over a century. This paper reviews the principal arguments advanced by Hill, Noe, and Schwabacher, focussing specifically on the incuse coinage of Magna Graecia, and assesses the extent to which computational die analysis can contribute new evidence to the question. The diagnostic principle is straightforward: hub-derived elements should be consistent across dies produced from the same hub, while elements applied at the die stage should differ — making a hub match distinct from a die match. An analysis of Noe Class V coins of Metapontion identifies three coins sharing an identical central type were found to differ in the placement of the dolphin relative to the border — consistent with the central type and dolphin being hub-derived while the border was applied independently to each working die. This constitutes positive evidence for the use of a hub to produce at least three working dies.