Antoniadou, Maria

2020-12-15T16:05:47Z

https://repository.ihu.edu.gr//xmlui/handle/11544/29694

Coinage

Koinon

masterThesis

free

School of Humanities, MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia

Studies on the institution of the Macedonian Koinon have remained on the fringes of scientific research for years. The interest in the Macedonian Koinon has expanded considerably in recent years since excavations in the region of Macedonia revealed a significant amount of numismatic as well as epigraphic testimonies. Examination of the aggregation of numismatic testimonies through a contextual approach can easily offer a new perspective of interpreting and reconstructing the historical, cultural and socio-political background of the Macedonian Koinon within the province of Macedonia. Even though literary sources concerning the foundation and the existence of the Macedonian Koinon are obscure, numismatic evidence has significantly contributed to the institution and its role within the Macedonian territory under the Roman rule. The aim of the present paper is to examine the coinage of the Macedonian Koinon during the Roman imperial period. The basis of the study will be the “Serres, 1966” hoard, which was found in Serres in 1966 and is today kept at the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. The topic of the essay was chosen because it offers the opportunity to investigate and analyze various aspects of the coinage of the Macedonian Koinon. Based on the aforementioned coin hoard, an outline of the production and the iconography of the coinage of the Koinon are displayed, predominantly during the third century AD. Apart from the iconographic types, emphasis is given also to the legends depicted on the coins of the Koinon, which could offer valuable information regarding its institutional and cultural character. They were associated with both the glorious past of Hellenistic Macedonia and the mighty presence of the Roman Empire. Lastly, the examination of the circulation and distribution of the issues of the Macedonian Koinon through the coin evidence is examined as well. Based on the hoard evidence and comparing to other Macedonian coinages, an attempt of investigating the average number of the coins issued by the Macedonian Koinon is presented, thus allowing an outline of its role in the monetary economy of Roman Macedonia.

Akamatis, Nikolaos

IHU

Macedonia