A bull has four legs with one leg=1/4 of the total therefore - an ancient quarter? Somebody who knows more about ancient denominations can take it from there.
This would be a possible explanation in the absence of one known example of a
hemiobol or 1/24th
stater weighing 0.57 gms with exactly the same design. This
hemiobol came to market as
BCD Peloponnesos 80 accompanied by the comment from
BCD that ...
"while on the hand it does not look right to have a twenty-fourth with exactly the same types as a twelfth, on the other, as ASW (Alan
Walker)
said, what were they supposed to display on a smaller coin, a foot or a toe?"This comment was of course made in the context that the design was interpreted to be a bent human leg. But it highlights that the bent leg, or in my preferred interpretation the
hind quarter of a
bull calf, does not signify a
denomination.
This is also borne out by the fact that the only larger
denomination from the Archaic period of Phlious, is a half
stater bearing a triskeles of human legs (
BCD Peloponnesos 77), which like the obol and
hemiobol referenced above, are very curiously struck on a Milesian (Asian)
weight standard based on a
stater of 14 gms . So no other
denominations from the Archaic period are known that bear all or
part of a
bull.
In this context it must be remembered that these coins are amongst the earliest struck in the
Peloponnesos so that direct comparisons to later coinage by way of
denominations is difficult. The Phlious issues bearing a
bull are of the Classical era and commence at least 50 years after the last of the Archaic coinage. These early Classical era issues are struck on a heavier
weight standard, based on a
drachm of ca 5.8 gms, which is likely derived from the Archaic Corcyrean
standard. So there is no direct connection in terms of
denominations between the Archaic coinage and the Classical era coinage, which bears clearly defined
bull imagery.
I believe that the example from
CNG posted above is the first and perhaps only example to show the full design elements including the hoof that indicates that it not a human leg that is depicted. As far as I can determine, nine of these coins are known. They originate form 3
obverse and 2
reverse dies (punches). Based on
reverse punch wear I can demonstrate that the
CNG coin posted above bearing the hoof is the first in the series and the only one known from the first
obverse die. The coin that is posted at the start of the
thread is from the third
obverse die by which stage the design appears to have become simplified and abstracted, loosing its clear
identification with a bull's
hind quarter, becoming ambiguous to the extent that it can be associated with human leg. The significance of the design from the first
obverse die showing what appears to be a hoof rather than a foot and represented on one single surviving example of the coinage appears to have been overlooked to date.
