Triobol from Korkyra (Illyria)

Wine is still grown today on the Greek island of Corfu in the Adriatic Sea. As this small silver coin illustrates, wine was already cultivated there in antiquity and was of great importance as a commodity. The amphora depicted on the coin's obverse, a tall storage vessel with a narrow neck, has grapes on both handles, revealing its contents. The star- or flower-like design on the reverse of this triobol is probably derived from the more complex design on the reverse of larger value coins. The ancient name of the island is indicated by the Greek letters KOP, which at the same time provides a clue for dating the coin: Only from around 400 BC does this abbreviation denote the place of minting, Korkyra.

Obverse: Amphora, a bunch of grapes on each handle. Reverse: KOP (Kor). Eight-pointed star.