Panel 5.24 – Greek coinage


Organiser/Chair:

  • Peter Mittag (University of Cologne)

Speakers:

Paper abstracts

1. José Miguel Puebla Morón

The Carthaginian attack to Akragas in 406 BC: Numismatic analysis
Greek coinage, as an official document from the polis which mints it, supposes a medium to spread a message from the population to whom it represents, message which must be understandable for the local population, because of being its main recipient, in addition to the rest of towns where that coinage could arrive for having common elements originating from the Greek imaginary.
Accordingly, from this premise I expect to analyse the coinage from the Greek polis of Akragas before the Carthaginian attack in 406 B.C., where, in addition to a considerable increase in the number and volume of its coinage as well as the presence of coins with a high nominal value, both as a symptomatic feature of a war period, it can also be observed the appearance of new iconographic elements in the coinage of Akragas which can be interpreted as the attempt of representation of an iconographic programme where it is expressed the support of the main deities from the local pantheon and supernatural beings from the Greek mythology in Sicily before the imminent attack of the Carthaginian army which would finish with the conquest and the subsequent sack of the polis.

"El ataque cartaginés a Acragante en 406 a. C.: Análisis numismático" (Fulltext)

 

2. Lavinia Sole (University of Palermo)

Monete in contesto dall'Acropoli di Gela
Oggetto del presente contributo sono 13 contesti di scavo, comprendenti monete in associazione a materiali archeologici. Ricostruiti a seguito di alcuni studi condotti nei magazzini del Museo Archeologico di Gela (CL), provengono dagli scavi degli anni '50 e '60 condotti sull'Acropoli di Gela, antica colonia siceliota fondata dai Rodio-Cretesi nel 689-688 a. C. L'analisi di questi contesti, databili prevalentemente tra la fine del V e gli inizi del IV sec. a.C., permette di avanzare spunti di riflessione circa la nuova organizzazione e il cambiamento di destinazione funzionale dell'Acropoli all'epoca della distruzione da parte dei Cartaginesi nel 405 a.C., nonché circa l'origine e la natura delle genti che occuparono questo spazio sacro in tale periodo. Verranno pertanto proposte alcune ipotesi interpretative delle notizie delle fonti storiche su Gela in questo arco di tempo, oltre ad essere precisate la cronologia delle fasi di frequentazione dell'acropoli, la datazione e la durata di circolazione delle serie monetali documentate.

 

3. Antonia Nikolakopoulou (Epigraphic and Numismatic Museum)

Burial coins in the Peleponnese as testimonies of monetary relations and coin circulation
Burial coins have always had a symbolic value either because of their connection to the rituals of the transition to Hades, or the respect of the relatives to the deceased or the social status and the religious beliefs of the dead themselves. But apart from their significance as tokens of burial traditions, burial coins are testimonies of the history, the monetary relations and the coin circulation of each region. In this study, coins found in tombs from Corinthia, Achaea, Eleia, Messenia, Laconia, Argolis and Arcadia in the Peloponnese are presented as such.
While in classical times burial rites were very limited, the frequency of burial coins increased in the Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic era. Burial silver and bronze coins were mainly issues of the mints of the Peloponnese rather than of city states beyond this region, where the frequency of findings has been very low. It is striking that one third of the burial coins included in this study come from Sicyon and that they have been found in tombs from nine out of the thirteen areas studied. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the historical conditions of the domination of the Sicyon coins, the monetary relations and the coin circulation of the cities of the Peloponnese, especially in those with no mints of their own.

"Burial Coins in the Peloponnese: Testimonies of Monetary Relations and Coin Circulation" (Fulltext)

 

4. Vassiliki Stefanaki (Epigraphic and Numismatic Museum)

Nadia Coutsinas, Défense et monnaie en Crète à l'époque hellénistique
Les recherches récentes ont démontré le lien entre frappe monétaire et dépenses publiques (surtout militaires) des royaumes et des cités. On sait que les dépenses militaires concernent surtout la protection et la défense de la cité (construction ou restauration des fortifications et des vaisseaux, armement et équipement de tous ces ouvrages, solde des hommes engagés dans les opérations).
La Crète, réputée pour les guerres incessantes entre ses cités, particulièrement pour des raisons hégémoniques, territoriales et économiques, n’est pas une île fortement monétarisée. Ainsi, même si le métal précieux utilisé pour la frappe du monnayage des cités provenait surtout des activités militaires et piratiques des Crétois, le lien entre guerre et monnaie n’est pas toujours évident, surtout pour une monnaie locale qui ne circulait pas en dehors de l’île. Le problème qui se pose donc est la raison de la frappe monétaire, ainsi que les dépenses envisagées par les cités crétoises.
Les sources écrites et archéologiques attestent l’entreprise de travaux liés à la défense des cités crétoises au cours de la période hellénistique. Toutefois, la datation de ces ouvrages est généralement approximative, ce qui rend difficile et hasardeux le lien entre frappe monétaire et programmes de constructions. Malgré cette difficulté majeure, nous allons tenter de faire un bilan des périodes de convergence ou de divergence entre frappe monétaire et construction des ouvrages défensifs en Crète.

"Defence and Coinage in Late Classical and Hellenistic Crete" (Fulltext)

 

5. Hacer Çoruh (Harran University)

The Place of Kyzikos Coins in Antiquity Economics
Kyzikos where on a peninsula in the southern coast of Propontis is known as a major trading and banking center. The tuna fish symbol was used as a permanent symbol on the city's coins. The electron staters of Kyzikos was called the Kyzikenes in antiquity. A Kyzikos electron stater, usually 24 Attic drahmi or 6 tetradrahmi and 1 Persian gold, is equal to the purchasing power. They were perceived as a stable and generally accepted currency. The Persian king made payments to his mercenaries with Kyzikos coins. These coins also played an active role in the international grain trade between the Greek mainland and the Black Sea. We know that Kyzikos coins are hid as dowry because they maintain their validity. Kyzikenes also have an important place in the assets of the rich. This electron staters have a special place in the agreements governing the international rate of exchange. The hoards and inscriptions found on a wide geographical area prove that the Kyzikos coins are an undeniable place in the ancient economies. Athenians and the Persians had never forbidden the production of these coins. Kyzikenes have become one of the three most prevalent coins of the ancient world. In this study will be mentioned on the validity of the Kyzikos coins spread in the geography and their place in the antiquity economics.