“This is an up-to-date introduction to the coinages and history of the Hellenistic world, which is to say, of the entire Greek-speaking oikoumene, from Marseilles to India, stretching from the reign of Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) to the conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt by Rome (31/30 BC),” Thonemann told the GN. While it is suitable as a textbook for university courses in Greek and Roman history and archaeology, theĪccessibly and vividly written,The Hellenistic World: Using Coins as Sources is also clearly a great addition to the personal library of anyone interested in knowing more about what the author, who is a Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History at Wadham College, University of Oxford, calls “the ‘big’ Greek world of the early Hellenistic period, when a single language and culture could carry you from the western Mediterranean to the foothills of the Hindu Kush.”
#Hellenistic coinage series#
Peter van Alfen, Margaret Thompson Curator of Ancient Greek Coins, American Numismatic Society, told the GN, “With three books currently in preparation on the coinage of Athens and the Athenian Empire, the coinage of Alexander the Great, and the coinage of the Roman Republic, the series will continue to explore various periods and areas of ancient studies.” The series is designed to introduce students to the ways in which ancient Greek and Roman coinage can be used as a historical source, not only for political history, but economic, social, and art history as well,” Dr. The Hellenistic World: Using Coins as Sources (Cambridge University Press, January 1, 2016) is the first of a new book series, Guides to the Coinage of the Ancient World, jointly produced by the American Numismatic Society and Cambridge. Their coinage is often described as satrapal, but it would be more appropriate to label it dynastic since it was not issued in the framework of their official duties as satraps the Hekatomnids wore a double hat as official satraps and as hereditary dynasts.“My aim in writing The Hellenistic World: Using Coins as Sources (Guides to the Coinage of the Ancient World) was “to show how rich and nuanced a history of the Hellenistic world one can write through the beautiful gold, silver and bronze coin-issues of its kings and cities.” says the author Peter Thonemann, Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History at Wadham College, University of Oxford. Other satraps struck coins, but none was native, or more significant, hereditary, and there was no continuity of coinage from one family member to another as was the case with the Hekatomnids4. They were unique in that period in issuing a regular and prolific dynastic coinage, which remained practically unchanged until the arrival of Alexander the Great3. As I have described elsewhere, in many ways, not least in their coinage, the 4th century BC satraps of Caria were the forerunners of Hellenistic kings2. This rich cultural setting, engrained in traditional and local foundations, became particularly open to outside influences, some of which had been at play for a long time, but which the Hekatomnids encouraged and made more visible. 392-334 BC) are the result of a multi-layered syncretism.
Many of the remarkable feats they accomplished in just over half a century (c. Much has been written about the unique and pioneering nature of the Hekatomnids who ruled Caria and its neighbouring regions that were subjected to Persian authority1. Hekatomnos paving the way for a dynastic coinage in Mylasa The dynastic coinage of the Hekatomnids is no exception and its origins owe much to the earlier minting activity of their native city, Mylasa, as well as to a number of external influences. Local deities and less so mythology (and foundations myths) were the main subject matters displayed on coins, but besides these sacred and ancestral references, near or distant influences could bring about new and unusual images.
Yet, features inherent to any coinage such as the weight standard, the range of denominations and quantities struck, the choice of the iconography and legend could simply not emerge ex nihilo but were mostly the product of a pre¬ existing monetary milieu.
Whoever they might be, they were to decide what shape and purpose the intended coinage would take. These issuing authorities could be elected officials, as in the case of a civic coinage or, more directly, the ruler himself, as with the Hekatomnids. These images were carefully selected and reflected the way an issuing authority saw itself and, more subtly, the way it wanted to be seen by others. COINAGE AND IDENTITIES UNDER THE HEKATOMNIDSĬoinage may be regarded as the first mass-produced medium that allowed issuing authorities the means to disseminate images among a large population group.
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