Coins struck at Samaria
1 catalogued coin and note attributed to Samaria, with weights, legends, dates and Wikimedia-sourced images across Achaemenid Empire.
In short
Samaria struck an extraordinarily varied series of tiny silver coins in the fourth century BCE under Achaemenid rule, naming local governors in Aramaic alongside borrowed Greek and Persian imagery. Samaria is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 1 coin and note struck between 333 BCE – 450 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Obol denominations, issued under Local Achaemenid governors.
- Catalogued
- 1
- Eras
- 1
- Metals
- 1
- Denominations
- 1
Key facts
| Catalogued pieces | 1 |
|---|---|
| Date range | 333 BCE – 450 CE |
| Eras represented | Achaemenid Empire |
| Metals | Silver |
| Denominations | Obol |
| Issuers | Local Achaemenid governors |
| Period | 4th century BCE |
| Legends | Aramaic, naming local governors |
| Weights | ≈0.7 g and smaller |
| Series ends | 332–331 BCE |
A satrapal city coinage
The Samarian series, largely recovered from a single hoard published in the late twentieth century, includes hundreds of types: Persian royal archers, Athenian heads, Greek deities, satrapal portraits and Aramaic names of governors.
It is the densest surviving evidence for how a provincial administration under Persia handled money — plural, improvised, and answerable to imperial authority only in the aggregate.
What collectors should know
Weights run from about 0.7 g down to a fraction of that. Condition is usually rough and legends partial, so attribution proceeds by die comparison against the published corpus.
The series ended with Alexander's destruction of Samaria in 332–331 BCE, giving it a hard terminal date and a tight, well-defined scope.
Achaemenid Empire · 550 – 330 BCE
Era overview →Frequently asked about Samaria
- Why are Samarian coins so varied?
- Because local authorities designed them, borrowing freely from Persian, Athenian and Levantine models, with no imperial requirement of uniformity for small local silver.
- How are Samarian coins attributed?
- By die comparison against the published corpus, using surviving Aramaic letters and style, since most examples are worn and partially struck.
- What coins were struck at Samaria?
- Samaria is a mint of the Iranian world represented in the Persian Treasury catalogue by 1 coin and note struck between 333 BCE – 450 CE. Its output here covers Silver in the Obol denominations, issued under Local Achaemenid governors.
- How many Samaria pieces are catalogued on Persian Treasury?
- 1 item, dated 333 BCE – 450 CE, spread across 1 era: Achaemenid Empire.
- Which metals were used for Samaria coinage?
- Silver. Each entry records the metal, the approximate weight where known, and a cited reference.
- Which denominations are associated with Samaria?
- Obol. Every denomination has its own reference page with dated examples.