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

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

The Greeks of ancient Olbia, on the Western coast of the Black Sea, did not mint round coins to use as currency. Instead, they cast bronze proto-money in the shape of the bottle-nosed dolphins that swam in the Black Sea. Dolphins, Delphinus in Greek, are sacred fish in Greek mythology. Because these dolphin bronzes date to the fifth century BC, they are quite crude. But the shape of the proto-money is unmistakable. NOTE: NO TWO LOOK LIKE. THERE IS A WIDE VARIETY.

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