Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/699

Rh MACEDONIA.] NUMISMATICS 641 Heracles in a lion s skin, and a tripod. Imperial pieces were struck by the city as a colonia. There is a long series of Thessalonica, beginning with Greek bronze coins, the latest of which are asses with on the obverse the Roman head of Janus in strange combination with a Greek inscription. Then follow pieces of imperial time and others with imperial effigies. Uranopolis has a few coins with very curious astronomical types, probably issued by the eccentric Alex- arclms, brother of Cassander. The issues of the Thraco-Macedonians are extremely interesting. They are all just anterior to, or it may be contemporary with, Alexander I. of Macedon. The leading coins are octadrachms of the Phoenician standard. They have usually but one type, the reverse bearing a quadripartite incuse square. Their sudden appearance and heavy weight are due to the working of the silver mines on the border of Macedonia and Thrace. The usual types are a warrior leading a horse or a yoke of oxen. The coins bear the names of the Bisalte, Getas king of the Edoni (whose only two coins, differing dialectically in their inscriptions, were found in the Tigris in 1818, and are now in the British Museum), the Orrescii, and other tribes. Besides these there are very curious Phoenician dodecadrachms of an unknown tribe, bearing the un usual type of an ox-car, in which is a figure seated, and on the reverse a triquetra. Kings of The oldest coins of the Macedonian kings are of Alexander I., from Mace- 498 to 454 B.C., the contemporary of Xerxes. These are Phoenician donia. octadrachms, having on the obverse a hero by the side of a horse, and coins of a lower denomination with the same or a similar type. The money of Alexander s successors illustrates the movement of art, but it is not until the reign of Philip II. that we have an abundant coinage. He first strikes gold pieces, chiefly Attic didrachms, from the produce of his mine near Philippi. They are of fair but somewhat careless style, and bear on the obverse the head of Ares. On the reverse is a victorious Olympic biga. These coins were afterwards known as &amp;lt;I&amp;gt;iXi7r7reroi and the gold money of Alexander as Aeavpeioi appellations which probably did not include larger or smaller pieces. Horace calls the gold coins of Philip &quot; Philips &quot;(&quot; regale nomisma Philippos, &quot; Epist. ii. 1, 232). The silver coinage of Philip is mainly composed of tetradrachms of the Phoenician talent. Their type of obverse is a head of Zeus, and of reverse either a mounted hero wearing a causia or a victor in the horse-race with a palm, these last coins being the best of Philip s, although the horse is clumsy. The coinage of Alexander the Great, both in the number of the cities where it was issued and in its abundance, excels all other Greek regal money ; but its art is, without being despicable, far below excellence. The types are not remarkable in themselves, and there is a great sameness characterizing the entire series. The system of both gold and silver is Attic. The gold coins are distaters or gold tetradrachms, staters or didrachms, hemistaters or drachms, with their half or a smaller denomination. The types of the distaters or staters, which last were the most common pieces, are for the obverse the head of Pallas and for the reverse Nice bearing a trophy-stand. The largest silver piece is the decadrachm, which is of extreme rarity. The types of the tetradrachms and most of the lower coins are on the obverse the head of Heracles in the lion s skin and on the reverse Zeus seated, bearing on his hand an eagle. The head has been supposed to be that of Alexander, but this is not the case, although there may be some assimilation to his portrait. The great currency was of tetradrachms. The coinage was struck in different cities, distinguished by proper symbols and monograms. The classification of the series is difficult, but is gradually advancing. The bronze money is not remarkable. The coinage of Alexander is followed by that of Philip Arrhidseus, with the same types in gold and silver. That of Alexander IV. was alone issued by Ptolemy I. In these coins the types of Alexander were modified. Meanwhile Seleucus, Lysimachus, and Antigonus, king of Asia, struck Alexander s money with their own names, and the tetradrachms of Macedonia were generally of this kind until the time of Philip V. The same coinage, marked by a large flat form, was reissued later by the cities of western Asia, when the Romans, after the battle of Magnesia in 190 B.C., restored the liberties which Alexander had granted. The series of Alexandrine money is interrupted by various small coinages and the later issues of Lysimachus, king of Thrace, with the first Greek regal portrait, the head of Alexander with the ram s horn, as the son of Zeus Ammon, sometimes a work worthy of Lysippus and an excellent indication of his style. The reverse has a figure of Pallas holding a little Nice. The coins of Demetrius I. (Poliorcetes) comprise fine tetradrachms, some of the types of which have tin historic reference. They bear either on the obverse his portrait with a bull s horn and on the reverse a figure of Poseidon, or on the one side a winged female figure (Nice or Fame) on the prow of a galley, blowing a trumpet, and on the other Poseidon striking with his trident. The latter types cannot be doubted to relate to the great naval victory which Demetrius gained over Ptolemy. The tetradrachms of Antigonus I. (Gonatas), which are of inferior style and work to those of Demetrius, have types which appear to refer in like manner to the great event of his time. The obverse type is a Macedonian buckler with the head of Pan in the midst, and the reverse type Pallas Promachos. The head of Pan is supposed to have been taken as a device in consequence of the panic which led to the discomfiture of the Gauls at Delphi The money of Demetrius II. is unimportant, but Antigonus Dosoii is represented by tetradrachms with the head of Poseidon and Apollo seated on a galley. The tetradrachms of Philip V. have on the obverse a head in the helmet of Perseus, representing Philip in the character of that hero, or else the hero himself, perhaps assimi lated to the king. The reverse bears a club. Other tetradrachms and smaller coins have a simple portrait of Philip. The tetra drachms of Perseus are of fair style, considering the time at which they were struck. They bear on the one side the king s head and on the other an eagle on a thunderbolt. The coin systems of northern Greece, Thessaly, Epirus, Corcyra, Tlies- Acarnania, and ^Etolia present certain difficulties which disappear saly if we consider them as originally .ffiginetan, modified in the west by Corinthian, and later by Roman, influence. The coinage of Thessaly presents very few specimens of a remote period, while pieces of the best time are numerous. These are in general re markably like the finest coins of Sicily and Italy, although the style is simpler. The prevalence of the horse and horseman is significant. The money of the Thessalian Confederacy, being of late date (196-146 B.C.), is of little interest. The commonest types are the head of Zeus crowned with oak and the Thessalian Pallas Itonia in a fighting attitude. The coinage is resumed in imperial times. Of the town of Gomphi or Philippopolis there is a beautiful drachm, having on the obverse a female head, facing, which is prob ably that of a nymph as the city. The coins of Lamia are also to be noticed for their beauty. The drachms bear the head of Lamia, the mistress of Demetrius Poliorcetes, and young Heracles, who probably represents Demetrius. The series of Larissa begins with archaic pieces and some of the early period of good art, but some times of rather coarse execution. The small silver pieces have very interesting reverse types relating to the nymph of the fount ain, and to be compared for mutual illustration with the didrachms of Terina and with some of those of Elis. These are followed by coins of fine work. The usual obverse type is the head of Larissa, the nymph of the fountain, facing, and on the reverse is generally a horse, either free or drinking. The head is treated in a very rich manner, like that of the fountain-nymph Arethusa, facing, on tetra drachms of Syracuse ; indeed, the resemblance to the Sicilian type is most remarkable. If it be a copy, it is simpler and bolder than the original. The bronze money is also good. The coins of Phar- salus and Pherse are also worthy of note. Of the tyrants of Pherae Alexander is represented by coins. The coinage of Illyria is usually of inferior or rude art ; the pieces Illyria, are JEginetic, ultimately changing to Attic. Of Apollonia there is a large series. The earliest have the Corcyrsean types of the cow and the calf and the floral pattern ; the latest, usually, the head of Apollo and three nymphs dancing round a fire, the outer ones holding torches. Dyrrachium, which never bears on its coins the more famous name of Epidamnus, is represented by an important series. First there are Jiginetan didrachms with Corcyrrean types. These are succeeded by tridrachms with Corinthian types, and, of course, on the Attic standard ; and then the old types are resumed, but apparently without a return to the former weight. Dyrrachium, it must be remembered, was founded partly by Corcyrsean and partly by Corinthian colonists. The coins of Epirus are of higher interest and beauty than those Epirus, of Illyria. Of the Epirots there are bronze coins of the regal period, and both silver and bronze ot the republic (238-168 B.C.), with the heads of the Dodonrean Zeus and Dione, together or apart. The city of Ambracia is represented by beautiful silver pieces, with on the one side a veiled female head and on the other a kind of obelisk. The series of Greek imperial money of Nicopolis must also be mentioned. The coinage known to us of the kings of Epirus begins under Alexander I. His coins have been found in the three metals, but they are rare. It is probable that both gold and silver were struck in Italy while he was in that country. The coins of Pyrrhus in all metals are of high interest, and remarkable for their beauty, though the style is usually florid. There can be little doubt that they were for the most part struck in Italy and Sicily, at Tarentum and Syracuse. The tetradrachm has for the type of the obverse a head of the Dodonsean Zeus crowned with oak and for that of the reverse Dione seated. A fine didrachm bears on the obverse a head of Achilles helmeted, with for the reverse Thetis on a sea-horse carrying the shield of her son. Among the copper coins of Pyrrhus we must remark the beautiful ones with the portrait of his mother Phthia. The coinage of the island of Corcyra begins with very early di- Corcyra. drachms and drachms of the 6th century. The types are the cow suckling the calf and the floral pattern, as at Dyrrachium. These leading subjects are varied in later times by others illustrating the Corinthian origin of the nation, its maritime power, and the fame of its wine. Not the least curious are the bronze pieces with galleys bearing their names, as Strength, Freedom, Glory, Orderly XVII. 8 1