This chapter provides consisted record on the most common coin types distributed in the Eastern Balkans in the second and first century BC. In fact the Late Hellenistic and Celtic coinages provided a considerable record and form the genuine coin pool of Thrace. They are well attested in the hoards and the resultant chronology is useful in fine tuning.
The main issuers of these coins, their attribution to certain authority have been matter of previous scholarly interest and research which allowed us to envisage the account as well as to formulate some important conclusions. Therefore it seemed advisable to examine the late Hellenistic numismatic record of the territory of Thrace to a great extent and to produce an updated review.
For clarity, the quantities of each Late Hellenistic coin type are provided as well as a complete list of the extant hoards from Thrace (in separate Appendices), each
illustrated on a separate map. In many cases (33 counted), the Late Hellenistic hoards are associated with Republican denarii and respectively represent an integral
part of the hoard pattern dating from ca. 90/80 to 30/20s BC.
The arrangement is chronological and follows the amount of each coinage in the circulation pool of Thrace.
1
I am most grateful to Professor François de Callataÿ, Professor Constantin Marinescu and Professor Ilya Prokopov who kindly read and substantially improved earlier drafts of this chapter.
Main research questions asked:
1. What was the role of the Late Hellenistic coinages in Thrace?
2. Why the Romans continued to produce Greek type heavy silver coins in Macedonia intended only for export? – for the next 80-90 years;
3. What was the real volume of these coinages?
4. What was the eventual purpose of these coinages in Thrace? 5. What impact did Macedonia have in Thracian affairs?
6. When and how the Late Hellenistic tetradrachms lost their role in Thrace? 7. What was the amount, distribution and role of the East Celtic coinages in
Thrace?
8. And finally, why the Roman denarius was effectively introduced (in Greece, Macedonia and resp. in Thrace) so late (ca. 80/70’s and 60’s BC)?
The review of coinages will begin with tetradrachms of Thasos and Thasian type and will end with the finds of Celtic imitations hoards in inner Thrace. Each section is mapped and briefly discussed in terms of distribution area.
The second part of this chapter includes a comprehensive discussion on general trends in the coin circulation in Thrace during the 2nd – 1st century BC with full statistics, analysis on hoards, geographic spread, illustrated with comparative graphs and distribution maps.
5.2.
Thasos and Thasian type tetradrachms
The most popular and wide-spread coin type in Thrace during the 2nd – 1st century is the late tetradrachm of the island of Thasos, the ‘Thasian type’, and its local imitations some (25,000 specimens recorded). They stretched between the Rhodopes and the Carpathians and were the principal component in the coin circulation in Thrace, appearing in over 250 hoards.2 The tetradrachms of Thasos were indeed the main monetary instrument of trade and main domestic denomination in inner Thrace and Dacia for over a century, until ca. 40/30 BC.
2
The bulk of Thasos coins is now well-documented in a major corpus authored
by I. Prokopov.3 All coins have the same type:
Obv. Head of young Dionysos wearing ivy wreath with leaves and berries right;
Rev. Heracles standing left, holding club, nude but lion skin on arm; sometimes
monograms to inner left field, around legend: Η Ε Ω Η and Θ Ω (in exergue).
Fig. 5.1. Tetradrachm of Thasos (16.92g), Photo after Heritage World Coin Auctions, Signature sale
3019 (26 April 2012), no. 23099.
Except for a few early light issues (drachms, 4.10–4.16 g) dated to around 180 BC, with only 8 specimens known4), the vast majority of the Thasian series are tetradrachms struck to the Attic weight standard.5 They are divided by Prokopov into two main groups:
1. ‘Genuine/ original’ issues of Thasos (in Groups I – XI, catalogue numbers 1- 558, pl. I, 1-2) which he considers to be dated 168/7 and 148 BC; and
2. ‘Thasian types’ issues (Groups XII – XX, catalogue numbers 559-1861, pl. I, 3-4), struck between ca. 148/7 and 90/80 BC.
Dating
In terms of chronology the Thasian tetradrachms were dated in different times by various scholars. M. Thompson suggested they should be dated immediately after Thasos fell under Roman protection and control, ca. 180 BC (Thompson 1966, 61; Le
Rider 1968, 185 ff.), but she admitted that “the crude and degenerate specimens which comprise the bulk of the coinage are the characteristic output of a mint operating in the late 2nd – early 1st centuries” (Thompson 1964, 79). Similarly, in the same time G. Kazarova proposed that many were produced in their majority the early 3 Prokopov 2006. 4 Prokopov 2006, 59 and pl. 1. 5
years of the first century, many struck for Sulla in the 80’s BC (Kazarova 1964, 131- 152). Most recently the tetradrachms of Thasos have been divided into three main groups according to Prokopov. Subsequently they are revised and down-dated by F. de Callataÿ as follows6.
Table 5.1.
Thasos groups Prokopov 2006 de Callataÿ 2008 de Callataÿ 2012
Groups I – VIII ca. 168/7-148 BC? ca. 150–140? BC ca. 150–140? BC
Groups IX – XI ca. 168/7-148 BC? ca. 120? BC ca. 115–86? BC
Groups XII – XX ca. 148-90/80 BC ca. 100–80? BC ca. 90–75? BC
An important conclusion drawn by Prokopov with a number of arguments is that the Thasos tetradrachms were not a ‘civic’ coinage but are in essence Roman provincial coins (“römisches Geld im griechischen Gewand”7) struck in Macedonia / southern Thrace to be used in a military setting. This statement, actually suggested in a different form long ago first by T. Mommsen8 and T. Reinach9 and later supported by M. I. Rostovtzeff10 and others11, is now generally accepted.12 Most recently F. de Callataÿ has made a comparative analysis of the coin weights of the Thasian series.13 He concluded that the metrology of the Thasian type coinage suggest that it was not produced under direct Roman control, but it is not difficult to guess who most likely were its instigators.14
The complete record of hoards containing tetradrachms of Thasos and Thasian type is to be found below, based and updated after the corpus of Prokopov.15 The hoard evidence from Thrace consists of 16216 hoards with Thasian tetradrachms and their imitations, all listed in Appendix 1.1, nos. 1–162.
6
See F. de Callataÿ 2008, 31-54, esp. 33-4, and most recently de Callataÿ 2012a, 307-21, esp. 310.
7 Prokopov 2006, 17 and 19-20. 8 Mommsen 1860, 690-1. 9 Reinach 1911, 351-64, esp. at 360. 10 Rostovtseff 1941, 1510. 11 Rodewald 1976, 24, note 161. 12 See Ashton 2012, 203-4. 13 de Callataÿ 2008, 44-8. 14 de Callataÿ 2008, 48. 15 Prokopov 2006, 215-66. 16
Total coins registered: 6,436+ Thasos and Thasian type (3,228 catalogued in Prokopov 2006); 935+ imitations of Thasian tetradrachms.
Number of dies identified: obverse 399 / reverse 1448.
Notes on distribution and role
The vast amount of the Thasos tetradrachms in Thrace follows certain patterns. At least two apparent zones of distribution are to be observed:
1. Central Northern Bulgaria (modern regions of Vratsa (10) and Montana (2), Pleven (15), Lovech (11) and Veliko Tarnovo (6) – a bulk of deposits between the valleys of rivers Ogosta/ Augusta and Jantra/ Jatrus – 44+ hoards, most
containing the so called “Thasian type”, with a limited number of the ‘original series’. Here they tend to associate with tetradrachms of Macedonian regions and drachms of Dyrrhachium and Apollonia, much rarely with Maroneia and Republican denarii (late in the 50s BC). The zone extends to Russe region and Danube to the east, where Thasos tetradrachms are often associated with Celtic imitations of Macedonian silver types.
2. Central Southern Bulgaria (the Thracian valley) – a massive concentration between the rivers Maritsa – Sazliyka – Tundzha (called ‘the silver triangle’ by Prokopov) – in the modern regions of Stara Zagora (28 – mostly near Bratya Daskalovi, Chirpan and Radnevo), Sliven (6 – grouped around Nova Zagora), Jambol (3) and Burgas (4 – most around Aytos and Karnobat, and 1 from Nesebar) – in total 41+ hoards. Here also is the most numerous finds of barbarous imitations of Thasian tetradrachms. To the west this zone also includes Pazardzhik, Plovdiv and Smolyan regions – represented respectively with 5, 10 and 2 hoards. Two waves of hoarding can be noticed here: earlier,
ca. 120-100/90 BC (for example: Svoboda/Kepeli IGCH 912; Kuklen / IGCH
911, etc.), and a late phase, ca. 40-20’s BC (e.g. Bolayrino / (IGCH 975),
Topolovo / 1961, reg. Plovdiv (RRCH 457), and Kolyu-Marinovo).
3. In southern Thrace the original Thasos tetradrachms make more than 90% of this type in hoards, while in the North Thrace the tetradrachms of the “Thasian type” prevail in nearly the same percentage.
Fig. 5.2. Distribution of hoards with Thasos and Thasian type tetradrachms (map after Prokopov