Thessalian Stater

The Thessalian Stater often depicts a cavalryman in mid-charge, a nod to Thessaly's elite horsemen who dominated Greek battlefields for centuries.

This silver coin, typically weighing around 10-12 grams, followed the Aeginetic standard and was minted in cities like Larissa or Pharsalus between the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, though exact dates for individual issues remain murky. Designs varied, with some showing the rider spearing a foe or simply astride a prancing horse, reflecting local pride in their mounts. We don't know the precise mintage figures; records from antiquity are scarce.

One peculiarity: the reverse often featured a biga or quadruped, which some scholars link to Thessalian festivals, but that's still debated. As for myths, I've heard enough tall tales about these coins funding Alexander's campaigns—let's just say the evidence is thinner than an overstruck flan.