Athenian "New Style" Tetradrachms in Macedonian Hoards more

American Journal of Numismatics, Second Series AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NUMISMATICS 3-4 Second Series, continuing The American Numismatic Society Museum Notes THE AMERICAN NUMISMATIC YORK 1992 SOCIETY NEW ~ -:; ':: ~ --: .., J'" CONTENTS GREEK J. ELAYI AND A. G. ELAYI. The First Coinage of Sidon with a Galley Bearing the So-Called Triangular Sail F. DE CALLATAY. Athenian nian Hoards New Style Tetradrachms of the Bosporus: in Macedo11 His Coinage and 21 MEDIEVAL STUART MUNRo-HAY. Forgeries of the Aksumite Series 49 65 KRZYSZTOFNAWOTKA. Asander Chronology D. M. METCALF, J. M. P. CABRAL AND L. C. ALVES. SixthCentury Visigothic Metrology, Some Evidence from Portugal ORIENTAL GERALD M. BROWNE. A New Coin Legend ISLAMIC GARO KURKMAN. A Divani Dated Coin of 567 of the Manguchakids; and Coins of 936 (Not 1036) of Sulayrnan the Magnificent MEDALS LOUIS WALDMAN. Varrone d'Agniolo Belferdino's ative Medal of an Unknown Lady MODERN JOSEPH R. LASSER. The Cobs of Cartagena, 1622-1655 Commemorfor Prakasaditya 91 95 105 117 AJN Second Series 3-4 (1991-92) © 1992 The American Numismatic Society ATHENIAN NEW STYLE TETRADRACHMS IN MACEDONIAN HOARDS F. DE CALLATAY contained New Style tetraSeveral hoards found in Macedonia drachms from Athens. The composition of these hoards has a distinctive profile. This profile has implications about the circulation of silver coinage in ancient Macedonia.' 1. Touratsoglou recently observed that in many cases Athenian coins were hoarded separately in Macedonia." In his inventory, there are seven hoards composed only of Athenian coins and six which contain other currencies as well." Dating the hoards on the lower chronology, he observes that "the numerous Athenian issues they contain fit into the period 139 B.C. until about 92 B.C., according to Markholm."! During that period Macedonia had to defend itself against several incursions, I It is a pleasure to thank the late Miss M. Thompson and Mr. G. Le Rider and Mr. I. Touratsoglou for their comments on a draft of this paper. F. de Callatay is curator of ancient coins at the Brussels cabinet. 2 I. Touratsoglou, "The Adam Zagliveriou/1983 Hoard in the Museum of Thessaloniki (Athenian 'New Style') Tetradrachms in Macedonia" Nop-tap-an"a Xgovt"a 8 (1989), p. 17 (hereafter, Touratsoglou). 3 Touratsoglou, p.20, nn. 1 and 2. • Touratsoglou, p.18. In 1961, Margaret Thompson published her monumental work, The New Style Silver Coinage of Athens, ANSNS 10 (New York, 1961). The chronology, particularly the end of the sequence, of this standard reference has been criticized by several people who proposed a down dating of ca. 32 years. For this, see O. Merkholm, "The Chronology of the New Style Coinage of Athens," ANSMN 29 (1984), pp.29-42. 11 12 F. DE CALLATAY first from the Scordisces and then from Thracian tribes. This troubled period. which ends with the arrival of Mithridatic troops at the beginning of the 80s. fits well according to Touratsoglou with the importation of large quantities of Athenian coins. particularly when we take into account the provincialization of Macedonia and the disruption of mining activity." This overall view is straightforward and coherent. But a question remains concerning the timing of the entry of Athenian coinage into Macedonia. Did the arrival of this money coincide with the invasions ?" Or was it the result of a single. massive supply at a certain moment? This study of Athenian emissions documented in Macedonian hoards allows us to resolve the question. As a matter of fact. we notice strong and recurrent abnormalities between the representation of the emissions in Macedonian hoards and what we know about the rhythm of Athenian production. The following chart analyzes the content of Macedonian hoards containing New Style coinage. For convenience. I take up dates given by Margaret Thompson in 1961 (Markholrn's dates. see n. 4. lower these dates by about 32 years)." The second column is devoted to the names of the two main magistrates and the third to the varieties listed by 5 Touratsoglou (p. 18) slightly adapts an idea expressed by Otto Markholm who observed that the increased production of silver coin in Athens about 145/4 was partly a result of political changes imposed by Rome which resulted in the interruption of some important silver coinages, see O. Merkbolm (above, n.4), p.42. 6 Touratsoglou (p. 18) wrote: "The examination of the hoards in combination with the information from historical sources seems to favour the chronological classification of the Athenian issues as suggested by Markholrn and to justify the view that the inflow of 'wreathbearing silver' into Macedonia occurred during periods of upheaval and threat from abroad: the clashes of the Roman legions in 135 B.C., 119 B.C.; 114 B.C. and 106 B.C. with the Scordisci Gauls are reflected in the hoards of Thessaloniki/1929, Veria/1962, Kilkis/1961, Macedonia( ?)/1958, Serresj l Sl S and Chalkidiki/1976, while the situation caused by the raids of the Thracians and the invasion of the army of Mithridates are shown by the hoards of Pella/1984, Stovi/1971, Katerini/1928, Zarova, Thessaloniki/1898 (events of the years 92 B.C., 89-5 B.C., 84 B.C., 77/6 B.C.)." 7 In addition to the Merkholm down dating, the sequence of some emissions needs to be changed. Until this is done it seems preferable not to give the illusion of perfect accuracy, but to let the Thompson dates stand even through they are over three decades too high and need some internal rearrangement. NEW STYLE TETRADRACHMS IN MACEDONIAN HOARDS 13 Thompson." ext, for each emission, the number of obverse dies in the Thompson's corpus is followed by the number of specimens. Then, after these different general parameters, the number of Athenian specimens attested in six different hoards is listed. Five of them are properly Macedonian: IGCH 478 (Thessalonica, ca 1929), CH 4, 66 (Chalcidice, 1976), CH 7, 133 (southwestern Macedonia, 1981),9 Adam Zagliveriou (1983), and I GCH 524 (Zarova, 1898). The sixth hoard is the northernmost and was unearthed some 70 km. south of Sofia, IGCH 976 (Belica, 1956). TABLE 1 Athenian M agislrales Early Period "New Style" Tetradrachms Varielies Obu. Dies in Macedonian Hoards IGCH 976 Spec. IGCH CH 4, CH 7, Adam IGCH 478 66 133 524 171/0 KTHl:I-EYMA 170/69 rAA Y-EXE 169/8 MIKI-6EO<I>OPA Middle Period 266-286 21 287-306 20 315-324 10 102 77 68 10 15 168/7 HPA-APlnO<1> 167/6 MENE~-EnirENO 166/5 TIMAPXOY-NIKAro 165/4 nOA YXAPM-NIKor 164/3 M2P06E-~IO<1> 163/2 ANTIOXOl:-NIKOr 162/1 6EO<1>PA-IDTAl: 161/0 ~IOrE-nOl:EI 160/59 AXAIOl:-HAI 159/8 AnAN-rAAYKOl: 158/7 EmrENH-IDl:AN~POl: 157/6 nOAEMON-AAKETHl: 156/5 MIKION-EYPYKAEI 155/4 A<1>PO~Il:I-AnOAH=1 154/3 EYPYKAEI-APIAPA 153/2 KAPAIX-EPrOKAE 152/1 A<1>PO~Il:I-~IOrE 324-340 347-355 360-368 368-380 383-390 396-401 401-410 413-418 421-427 429-439 441-458 461-472 475-490 494-503 503-522 524-541 543-554 12 9 9 6 8 6 8 7 8 11 18 12 16 11 16 18 12 84 101 66 49 53 54 44 43 79 91 244 182 196 44 83 159 101 13 27 13 3 2 + - 7 4 4 2 3 1 2 4 1 8 5 2 7 2 1 +1 +5 +78 +55 +64 1 3 +37 +6 7 5 2 8 Some publications (as CH 4, 66) do not mention years on magistrates' names, but refer to the Thompson numbers only. 9 See A. Burnett, "Aesillas: Two ew Hoards," CH 7 (London, 1985), pp.54-67. 14 Magis/ra/es F. DE CALLATAY Varieties 552-577 577-593 596-609 611-625 629-644 648-664 669-684 686-695 697-709 710-721 719-732 729-746 745-757 759-775 777-798 795-809 812-821 823-835 833-851 847-876 Obu. Dies 25 15 14 15 16 17 16 10 13 13 12 16 10 17 22 12 11 14 15 29 Spec. IGCH CH 4, CH 7, Adam IGCH 478 133 524 66 175 136 110 121 \15 98 III IGCH 976 t.IONYl:I-t.IONYl:1 AMMQNIOI-KAMIAI 0EMIITO-0EOnOMnOI IDKPATHI-t.IONYl:Ot.Q MHTPOt.QPOI-MIATIAt.HI 146/5 t.IOTIMOI-MArAI 145/4 EYMAPEIt.HI-AAKIt.AM 144/3 XAPINAYTHS-APIITEAI 143/2 Cl>ANOKAHI-AnOAM2NIOI AIt.HI-Ar AOOKAH 142/1 EYBOY 141/0 t.AMIQN-IDIIKPATHI 140/39 EYMHAOI-KAMIOON 139/8 HPAKAEIt.HI-EYKAHI 138/7 0EOt.OTOI-KAEOCl>ANHI 137/6 HPAKAEIt.HI-EYKAHI 136/5 ANt.PEAI-XAPINAYTHI 135/4 IKEIIOI-AIKAHnlAt.HI 134/3 TIMOIPATOI-nOIHI 133/2 AMCl>IKPATHI-EPIITPATOI 132/1 t.QII0EOI-XAPIAI Late Period 151/0 150/49 149/8 148/7 147/6 +9 5 +4 8 +4 2 1 2 2 2 1 +3 3 +8 +9 +6 +9 +3 +6 22 +8 5 +9 +8 +9 - 129 120 94 122 102 69 147 145 70 67 82 71 109 4 1 2 879-925 131/0 t.HMHTPIOI-ArA0InnOI 130/29 NIKHTHI-t.ION)'IIOI 929-961 129/8 APIITIQN-Cl>IM2N 959-989 990-1014 128/7 APonOI-MNAIArO 127/6 :ENOKAHI-APMO:ENOI 1014-1031 126/5 NIKorENHI-KAMI1032-1048 MAXOI 1050-1066 125/4 t.HMEAI-EPMOKAHI 124/3 :ENOKAHI-APMO:ENOII066-1105 123/2 :ENOKAHI-APMO:ENOI 1110-1123 1122-1129 122/1 KOINTOI-KAEAI 121/0 AnEMIKQN-roPrIAI 1131-1142 1143-1145 c. 121 B. MI0PAt.ATHIAPIITIQN 1147-1156 120/19 MNAIEAI-NEITQP 119/8 KAEOCl>ANHI-Enl0ETHI 1158-1164 1165-1172 118/7 MENTQP-MOIXIQN 1169-1178 117/6 APXITIMOI-t.HMHTPI lUCUlLlAN 47 33 30 25 19 17 17 42 14 7 12 3 10 7 8 7 195 148 118 112 59 43 89 121 40 23 85 6 25 20 24 19 +15 +7 3 +3 2 EW STYLE TETRADRACHMS IN MACEDONIA HOARDS 15 The first hoard (IGCH 478, Thessalonica) is different from all the others. It contains 81 tetradrachms which are all dated between 170/69 and 165/4 according to Thompson, that is to say between ± 138/7 and 133/2 following the low chronology. The excellent state of preservation of the coins-? and the number of die links strongly argue for a burial date at the end of 130s, very soon after the arrival of these tetradrachms in Macedonia. The five other hoards were deposited some 20 to 50 years later, between ± llO and 80 B.C.ll These five hoards are composed similarly. Indeed, four emissions are strangely overrepresented in each of these hoards, those with the names of EmrEN H-m:!ANf1PO:I, nOAEMQN-AAKETH:I, MIKIQN-EYPYKAEI, and KAPAIX-EPrOKAE. In each of the five hoards, these four emissions constitute more than half of the specimens. TABLE 2 Emissions Total 26 15 38 421 19 Percentage 69.2 60.0 52.6 55.6 78.9 The Four Overrepresented Number CH 4, 66 CH 7, 133 Adam Zagliveriou IGCH IGCH 524 976 18 9 20 234 15 This situation contrasts highly with the real significance of these four emissions in Athenian tetradrachm production.P Examining the fourth 10 Thompson, p. 475: "The coins recorded above are all well preserved, those of the first three strikings somewhat more worn than those of the last, many of which are FOC." 11 Indeed, if we down-date Thompson by 32 years the terminus post quem for each of the five hoards is: Chalcidice, CH 4, 66, 109/8; southwestern Macedonia, CH 7, 133, 105/4; Adam Zagliveriou, 96/5; Zarova, IGCH 524, 95/4; and Belica, IGCH 976, 85/4. 12 Some hoards from northern Greece are not detailed here because they are either too modest or unpublished. Nonetheless, when information is available, the results attest the same phenomenon. Strojno 1961, IGCH 924, had four Athenian specimens with two EmrENH-IDIAN.o.POI and one MIKIQN-EYPYKAEI, see E. Schoenert-Geiss, 16 F. DE CALLATAY column of Table 1, the number of obverse dies reported by Thompson, the disposition is obvious. With an average of 16 obverse dies each year (18, 12, 16, and 18), these four emissions are certainly well represented.> However, they are not different from the neighboring emissions. Many of these are of a similar volume (even larger from time to time), but are poorly documented in Macedonian hoards, while the four emissions above take a trifling place in hoards from Crete, Delos, Attica, Euboea, and Thessaly. The detailed account, based on Thompson's publication, is in Table 3. TABLE 3 The Four Crete Overrepresented Number Specimens Total in Other Hoards Percentage Cretan Hoard 2, IGCH 332 Cretan Hoard 1, IGCH 331 Hieraptytna, IGCH 352 Total Delos 1 0 0 1 63 13 27 103 1.6 0.0 0.0 1.0 Delos r, IGCH 284 Delos KC, IGCH 290 2 3 249 19 0.8 15.8 Griechisches Miinzwerk. Die Miinzpragung von Maroneia (Berlin, 1987), pp.l05-6; Benkovski 1933/4, IGCH 917, had one Athenian specimen with MIKIQN-EYPYKAEI, see Thompson, p. 523, and E. Schoenert-Geiss, p. 96; Levka 1974, CH 1,92 = CH 6, 49, 'had one Athenian specimen EmrENH-:m~Nt.PO:I, see E. Schoenert-Geiss, p. 101. Further, one of the four emissions attested for the Simitlii hoard is, once again, EmrENH-:m~Nt.PO:I, see Thompson, p. 522. Finally, the only Athenian tetradrachm unearthed in Dacia is nOAEMQN-AAKETH:I, see B. Mitrea, "Un tetradrachrne athenien du nouveau style decouvert en Dacie," Essays Thompson (Wetteren, 1979), pp. 197-201, pI. 18. This article was still in press when Dr. I. Propopov sent me one of his latest publications, "A Hoard of Athens and Thasos Tetradrachms Discovered near the Town Raslog," News of the Historical Museum of Kjustendil (1989), pp. 24968 (in Bulgarian, summaries in French and English). Of the 18 Athenian tetradrachms, 8 have EmrENH-:m~Nt.PO:I, 5 have nOAEMQN-AAKETH:I, 4 have MIKIQNEYPYKAEI and 1 has KAPAIX-EPrOKAE. Thus, in this case, all the specimens belong to the four overrepresented emissions. 13 Logically, these emissions are documented by a high number of specimens. It goes without saying that this situation results in large part from Macedonian hoards. NEW STYLE TETRADRACHMS IN MACEDON IAN HOARDS 17 Delos I\H IGCH 285 Delos B IGCH 286 Delos IGCH 297 Delos A IGCH 347 Total :::0 0 7 0 0 12 248 52 52 11 631 0.0 13.5 0.0 0.0 1.9 Euboea Carystos 2, IGCH Carystos I, IGCH Total 291 344 0 0 0 41 70 121 0.0 0.0 0.0 Attica Piraeus, IGCH 337 Diplyon, IGCH 339 Total Thessaly Halmyros, IGCH 1 0 1 12 33 45 8.3 0.0 2.2 1.4 289 13 903 These results are obvious: completely absent from many hoards outside Macedonia, the four emissions constitute less than 16 percent in one case and usually less than 2 percent. Thus, it seems evident that we are dealing with a separate Macedonian circulation phenomenon. This pecularity is so glaring that it is now possible, I think, to identify the uncertain provenance of IGCH 296 = CH 7, 130 (Toronto, 1928). According to the data provided by Thompson, the three emissions most documented in this hoard are nOI\EMQN-AI\KETHI, 6 specimens; MIKIQN-EYPYKI\EI, 9 specimens; and KAPAIX-EPrOKI\E, 7 specimens. If the EmrENH-mIAN~POI emission is apparently absent, the 3 other ones nonetheless represent 45.8 percent of the total, 22 coins out of 48.14 The remaining 26 coins belong to 14 different emissions dated over a period of some 50 years. This unbalanced distribution constitutes a solid argument for putting this hoard-or, at least, this part of the hoard-in northern Greece, in Macedonia or Thrace.P 14 Thompson, p. 501, and IGCH 296 mention a total of 48 Athenian tetradrachms. In CH 7, 130, one specimen is added to the total and one variety (Th. 804a) is removed-a somewhat puzzling process. 1S Thompson, p. 502: "The Ontario lot seems rather to be a section of a larger hoard. In the absence of information as to its provenance and the date of its acquisition, speculation is perhaps useless." Hypotheses that link this material with Carystos hoard 1 (Thompson) or Halmyros hoard (IGCH 289 and 296) remain speculative. 18 F. DE CALLATAY The four overrepresented emissions have two interesting characteristics. First, they are not the most recent emissions in Macedonian hoards. Second, they are nearly sequential. Indeed three out of four emissions are sequential, from 158/7 to 156/5). The fourth one, 153/2 comes quickly after them following a gap of two years-155/4 and 154/3. Is it possible that the KAPAIX-EPrOKAE emission of year 153/2 directly followed the other three? No die linkage evidence contradicts this hypothesis.w Neither do the study of style nor the study of hoards contradict it. The important point is to see that the main import of Athenian tetradrachms happened very massively in a short space of time (whether 4 or 6 years). As Thompson wrote very subtly in her commentary on the Zarova hoard, "It is true that one would expect a preponderance of coinage from late issues in a currency hoard but it must be remembered that we are concerned here not with the Athens area but with an outlying district. The appearance of so many tetradrachms of 158-153 B.C. may simply reflect large-scale movement of Athenian coins to the north during those years and their continued use over a long period. Later strikings may have travelled to Macedonia in smaller quantity."17 This massive import of Athenian currency into Macedonia can be dated from about 158/7 to 153/2 according to the high chronology, that is to say from about ± 126/5 to about ± 121/0 according to the more likely low chronology. This period from about 126/5 to 121/0 attracts attention. A gap of some twenty years exists between the provincializing of Macedonia (and the closing of the mints which is generally linked with this event) and the flood of Athenian tetradrachms which occurred to supply the deficiencies of local production. Recalling Tourastoglou's comments on these two events, there are two possibilities. 1. After the closing of the Macedonian mints, enough coinage was available for the needs of the next 20 years. 2. The great reorganization of monetary production by the Romans did not take place in ± 146 but many years later. The resolution of these propositions is difficult. However, it is important to realize that the second suggestion-which may be more 16 Interestingly, the emissions dated by M. Thompson to intervening years 155/4 and 154/3 are linked by obverse dies. 17 Thompson, p.490, n. I, also pp.539-40. NEW: STYLE TETRADRACHMS IN MACEDONIAN HOARDS 19 difficult to defend-does not conflict with any other evidence particularly if we are prepared to accept a certain distance between political and monetary affairs. Without taking a position in favor of one idea rather than the other, I would like to submit the two following thoughts. 1. If this quantity of money arrived in Macedonia around 120 as a result of a decision taken some 20 years earlier, we would issues of Athenian expect to have more examples of the intevening tetradrachms. Therefore, everything seems to indicate that this phenomenon was not a progressive one, with increasing importation of coins in tiered fashion, but a massive and very sudden one.P 2. Several numismatists have linked the beginning of the large tetradrachm production in Thasos and Maronea with the provincializing of Macedonia in 146. Now, it may be, according to recent research, that the Maronean coinage was not initiated before the last quarter of the second ceutury.P In this case-but prudence is clearly required-it may well be that the large monetary changes affecting Macedonia in the last half of the second century (suspension of monetary activity in Macedonia, import of Athenian currency, and the beginning of intensive production at Thasos and Maronea) happened about 125 B.C., that is to say two decades after the most commonly believed dates. This last suggestion needs further investigation and review. These emissions which reached northern Greece in a seemingly very abrupt manner continued for some thirty years to provide the bulk of the coinage used in local exchanges. Their longevity in Macedonia is accompanied by their general absence in hoards deposited south of Macedonia. This compartmentalization does not support an often made assumption about the use of Athenian tetradrachms for large international exchanges (trade or mercenary pay). On the contrary, this observation argues for a rather immobilized circulation, supplying the needs of a local market. Thompson was once again very circumspect when she wrote that the composition of the Zarova hoard seems "to point up reasonable premise but one that is perhaps what is an entirely 18 Such a massive importation seems more likely to have been carried out by an organized central state than by a series of individual transactions. 19 F. De Callatay, "Un tetradrachrne de Mithridate surfrappe :i. Maronee," NumAnl Class 20 (1991), pp.213-26." 20 F. DE CALLATAY sometimes forgotten, namely that coinage did not flow in and out of any given region in a steady stream but rather in irregular waves as dictated by the exigencies of commerce, politics, military operations and other circumstances and that the hoards inevitably reflect this erratic monetary pattern. "20 So, the case of the Athenian tetradrachms in Macedonian hoards serves as warning: monetary circulation is not always an even flow expanding ever outward. The hoard evidence here seems to indicate that at times circulation is subject to severe constraints. Thompson, p.540. 20