Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/698

Rh 640 NUMISMATICS [THRACE. Minoa. The leading types are imitated from Syracusan money. This series must not be confounded with the large Attic issues of Carthage, which are distinguished by special types not found in Sicilian money, such as the horse s head and the palm-tree ; the head of Persephone links these coins with the true Siculo- Punic. The islands near Sicily issued coins which belong to the Cartha ginian series, except Lipara, of which there is heavy bronze money on the Sicilian system, having on the obverse a head of Hephrestus, or sometimes a figure of the same divinity seated, holding a hammer and a vase, which he seems to have just formed. The In the Tauric Chersonese there are interesting coins, in the three Tauric metals, of the city of Panticapseum, the modern Kertch. Their Clierson- obverse usually bears the head of Pan and their reverse a griffin ese, &c. and other subjects ; some are of fine Greek style. The money of Sarmatia, of Dacia, and of upper and lower Mcesia is chiefly bronze of the Graco-Roman class. In Sarmatia we may notice the autono mous and imperial pieces of Olbia, and in Dacia the series bearing the name of the province. The Roman colonia Viminacium in upper Mcesia is represented by numerous coins of a late time. Of Istrus, in lower. Mcesia, there are drachms having a strange type on the obverse, representing two beardless heads, those of the Dioscuri, side by side, the one upright and the other upside down ; on the reverse is an eagle devouring a fish. The style of these coins, it may be noticed, is in general fair, though it sometimes approaches to barbarism. There are abundant Greek imperial coins of Marcianopolis and Nicopolis, while Tomi is represented in this class as well as by autonomous money. Thrace. The coins of Thrace are of high interest. Here and in Macedonia we observe the early efforts of barbarous tribes to coin the produce of their silver mines, and the splendid issues of the Greek colonies ; and we see in the weights the influence of the Asiatic Greeks, the Athenians, and the Persians. The oldest coins are of the 5th century B.C., and there are others of all subsequent times, both while the country was independent and while it was subject to the Romans, until the cessation of Greek coinage. Some of the best period are of the highest artistic merit. So long as they maintain any general distinctive peculiarities of fabric and design, that is, from their commencement until the age of Philip, the Thraeian coins resemble those of Macedonia. The money of Abdera com prises tetradrachms and smaller coins of the periods of archaic and line art, all but the latest of the Phoenician standard, ultimately superseded by the Persic. The principal type is a seated griffin. The reverse type, an incuse square, has at first four divisions, but in the age of the finest art contains a variety of beautiful subjects. JEnus is remarkable for the great beauty of some of its coins. These are tetradrachms of Attic weight, of the late archaic and best ages. The interesting turning-point from growth to maturity is seen in a vigorous head of Hermes in profile, wearing the petasus. A little later is the splendid series of facing heads, the broad, severe, and sculptural treatment of which is truly admirable, and far superior to the more showy handling of the same subject in later drachms. A goat is the reverse type of the larger coins. The money of the city of Byzantium begins with coins on the Persic standard of good -style, having on the obverse a bull above a dolphin and on the reverse an incuse square of four divisions, and closes with the series of bronze coins issued under the empire. The Roman colonia of Deultum and the city of Hadrianopolis deserve a passing notice. Of Maronea, anciently famous for its wine, there is an interesting series beginning with small archaic coins. After these we notice fine tetradrachms of Phoenician weight, having on the obverse a prancing horse and on the reverse a vine within a square. The standard changes to Persic, of which there is a beautiful series of didrachms. Then the series is interrupted by the rule of the Macedonian kings, and resumed in a barbarous coinage of the native Thracians, issued in the second and first centuries before the Christian era, consisting of spread Attic tetradrachms with the types of the head of beardless Dionysus crowned with ivy and on the other side his figure. The Greek imperial coins of Pautalia and Perinthns are worthy of notice. Among those of the latter town we may mention fine pieces of Antoninus Pius and Severus, and large coins, commonly called medallions, of Caracalla and other emperors. The money of the imperial class issued by Philippo- polis, Serdica, and Trajanopolis should also be noticed. In the Thraeian Chersonese the most important series is one of small autonomous silver pieces, probably of the town of Cardia. There is a limited but higldy interesting group of coins of Thraeian kings and dynasts. The earliest are of kings of the Odrysne, including Seuthes I., who began to reign in 424 B.C.. and whose money bears the two remarkable inscriptions SEY0A KOMMA and SEY0A APFYPION. It closes with the issues of Roman vassals ; they begin with Coson, who puts on his gold staters the type of the Junia family, the first consul between his lictors, marking his allegiance to Brutus, and an eagle. Lysimachus, commonly classed as king of Thrace, belongs to the group of Alexander s western successors. Among the islands of Thrace, Imbros Avith its trace of Pelasgic worship, and, equally with Lemnos, showing evidence of Athenian dominion, and Samothrace with the Asiatic worship of Cybele yield in interest to Thasos. Here a long and remarkable cur rency begins with very early Persic didrachms, the obverse type a centaur carrying a nymph, the reverse an incnse square of four divisions. Under the Athenian supremacy we see a decline of weight, and in style the attainment of high excellence. The design of the obverse now reminds us of the work of Alcamenes at Olympia, grand in spite of careless execution. After this we observe coins of Phoenician weight, bearing for their obverse types the head of Dionysus. These are of the best period of art, and some tetra drachms are among the very finest Greek coins. The head of Dionysus is treated in a sculptural style that is remarkably broad and grand. The massive, powerful features, and the formal hair, nearly falling to the neck in regular curls like those of the full beard, are relieved by a broad wreath of ivy-leaves, designed with great delicacy and simplicity. The reverse bears a Heracles kneel ing on one knee and discharging his bow, a subject powerfully treated. Of a far later period there are large tetradrachms, much resembling those of Maronea, with the same type of the beardless Dionysus, but on the reverse Heracles. There are coins of Pseonian kings, which are chiefly silver, and have a resemblance to those of the Macedonian sovereigns, although they are somewhat barbarous. They range from 359 to 286 B.C. The money of Macedonia both civic and regal is of great variety Mace- and interest. It begins at an early time, probably towards the donia. end of the 6th century B.C. The old pieces are of silver, bronze having come into use a century later, and gold about the middle of the 4th century B.C. The character of the coinage resembles that of Thrace ; the earliest pieces are of the Phoenician, Babylonic, and Attic standards, the heavier form of the Babylonic, the Persic, appearing later. The most remarkable denominations are the Phoenician octadrachms and dodecadrachms. The largest coins are of the time of Alexander I. and somewhat earlier, and indicate the metallic wealth of the country more than its commercial activity. Philip II. adopted for gold money, which he was. the first Macedonian king to issue, the Attic weight, striking staters on that system, while he maintained the Phoenician standard for his silver coinage. Alexander the Great made the weight of the gold and silver money the same by employing the Attic system for both ; and from his time no coins of kings of Macedonia in these metals were struck on any other system. The series of Roman Macedonia begins with coins of the &quot;regions&quot; issued by permission of the senate and bearing the name of the Macedonians, from 158 to 146 B.C. ; others follow of the Roman province. The coinage of Acanthus comprises fine archaic tetradrachms of Attic weight and others of Phoenician weight and very vigorous in style, of the commence ment of the period of good art. The type of their obverse is a lion seizing a bull. The money of jEneia is chiefly interesting from its bearing the head of the hero ./Eneas ; and on one extraordinary coin of archaic fabric, an Attic tetradrachm, the subject is the hero carrying Anchises from Troy, preceded by Creusa carrying Ascanius ; this is in date before 500 B.C., and is preserved in the Berlin Museum. The town of Amphipolis is represented by a long series. There are Phoenician tetradrachms having on the obverse a head of Apollo, facing, sometimes in a splendid style, which recalls the art of the immediate successors of Phidias, as seen, for instance, in the famous bronze female head in the British Museum. The reverse type is a flaming torch in an incuse square. There are also many Greek imperial bronze pieces of this city. The territory of Chalcidice is eminent for the excellence of some of its silver coins. These are Phoenician tetradrachms of the best period struck by the Chalcidian League (392-379 B.C., and later), Olynthus being probably the mint. The obverse bears the head of Apollo in profile crowned with laurel. It is in very high relief and treated with great simplicity, though not with the severity of somewhat earlier pieces. The delicacy of the features is balanced by the simple treatment of the hair and the broad wreath of laurel. On the reverse is a lyre. There is an early series of coins of Lete. Some are of a remote date and none later than about the time of Alexander I. The obverse type is a satyr with a nymph, and on the reverse is an incuse square divided fourfold, first diagonally and then in squares. Mende has money of Attic weight, the types being con nected with Silenus, who on a tetradrachm of fine art is portrayed reclining, a wine -vase in his hand, on the back of an ass; the reverse bears a vine. Of Neapolis (Datenon) there are early coins with the Gorgon s head and the incuse square, which changes, as at Lete, and in the period of fine art gives way to a charming head of Nice crowned with olive. There is a very early Attic tetradrachm of Olynthus, with a quadriga, and an eagle within a double square, the only coin, save Philip s gold and silver and the money of Gyrene, which repeats the idea of the great Sicilian currencies, the record of Olympic victory. Orthagoria, better known as Aristotle s birthplace Stageira, has a few remarkable coins of good art and a peculiar style. The coins of Philippi in the three metals are mainly of the time of Philip II., who, having found a rich gold mine near Crenides, changed its name to Philippi. The gold coins are Attic staters, the silver pieces of the Phoenician or Macedonian weight, like Philip s own money. All bear the head of young