AKARNANIA. Anaktorion. Circa 350–300 BC. AR Stater

AKARNANIA. Anaktorion. Circa 350–300 BC. AR Stater (23 mm, 8.66 g, 8 h).

Obv. Pegasos flying left; below, monogram of ΑΝ.

Rev. ΛΥΣ. Head of Athena left, wearing crested Corinthian helmet; behind neck guard, monogram of ΑΝ and thymiaterion; below, monogram of ΑΓ.

Refs. BCD Akarnania 95.3 var. (different magistrate); Calciati 67/2 corr. (ΑΓ monogram off flan); Imhoof-Blumer, Akarnanien, 95.

Condition. Lightly toned and well struck on a broad flan; fine classical style. Very Fine.

This attractively engraved stater was struck at Anaktorion, one of the leading cities of Akarnania, a region on the western coast of Greece that served as a crossroads between the Ionian Islands and mainland Hellas. Its coinage belongs to the wider Pegasos–Athena tradition of Corinthian influence, a type that spread widely among the western colonies and allies of Corinth from the late fifth century onward.

The obverse, showing Pegasos in full flight, symbolises divine speed and protection, echoing Corinth’s founding myth of the winged horse tamed by Bellerophon. The reverse features a finely modelled head of Athena, patroness of strategy and wisdom, wearing her characteristic Corinthian helmet. The delicate inclusion of a thymiaterion (incense burner) behind the neck guard is distinctive to Anaktorion and may allude to local cult practice or civic devotion to the goddess. The series’ numerous control marks and monograms suggest the participation of successive magistrates in a long and stable civic coinage tradition.

Anaktorion’s prosperity derived from its strategic maritime position near the Ambracian Gulf, granting it both commercial and military importance. In the fourth century BC, it stood as part of the Akarnanian League, often aligning with Corinth and later Macedon. The artistry of this stater reflects the persistence of the classical Greek numismatic aesthetic into the Hellenistic age—restrained yet elegant, with balanced proportions and crisp detailing.