This paper presents a general overview of the coin production and circulation in Cyprus during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The paper discusses the coin types and weight standards and tackles questions regarding attribution and circulation. Coin evidence suggests that during the Ptolemaic period the mints in Cyprus contributed actively to the royal production, from the third century onwards. The Ptolemies probably appreciated and exploited the past minting experience of the local kings. During the roman period the relationship between Cyprus and Rome in terms of coin production seems less favorable, compared to that of other mints in the east.

From 'East and West in the World Empire of Alexander. Essays in Honour of Brian Bosworth'. Edited by Pat Wheatley and Elizabeth Baynham

The circulation of the coins of Demetrius Poliorcetes in Macedonia (MA Thesis), International Hellenic University, School of Humanities, Thessaloniki, Greece, 2021. This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia at the International Hellenic University.

[The ancient coins of Cyprus in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Cyprus - a melting pot in the eastern Mediterranean in archaic and classical times?] The Münzkabinett of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin has one of the most comprehensive collections of ancient coins in the world, with around 152,000 pieces from the Greek and Roman periods up to the end of the 4th century AD. A small part of this collection consists of coins from the archaic and classical periods of ancient Cyprus. This stock of 262 coins has so far remained largely unpublished. The present work is dedicated to the inclusion of the Cypriot coins in a catalogue which was created according to the standards of the Berlin Numismatic Collection in order to facilitate future examination of the coins. Ancient Cyprus is regarded as a "melting pot" of cultures, in which different cultures met and mixed due to Cyprus' special geographical location, which was partly reflected in art and culture. Therefore, this paper examines whether and to what extent the manifold cultural influences manifested themselves on Cyprus' coinage of the archaic and classical periods. In order to address this question, the work was structured as follows: First, the question and the method used to explore the topic will be presented. This is followed by an introduction to the "essence" of Cypriot numismatics, which is intended to facilitate access to the work. The introduction is followed by the catalogue, which is preceded by an overview of the Berlin holdings of ancient coins from Cyprus and gives a brief insight into the acquisition history of the collection. In addition, a brief technical introduction to the catalogue will be given. The fourth part serves as a historical overview of the space and time in which Cypriot coinage developed. This is followed by the most comprehensive part of the work: the processing of the respective mints. This is done in each case in three Parts: 1. historical overview of the mint, 2. presentation of the mint's coins, which are in the possession of the Berliner Münzkabinett, and 3. an attempt to interpret the iconography on the coins presented. In the summary, the most important results of the work are presented in accordance with of the question, followed by a short final consideration.

With Alexander III, the issues of gold coins in Greece grew steadily for several factors, first of all the availability of metal, but also the need for large amounts of money for the maintenance of the army, the payment of the veterans and the establishment of a sovereign state that could have a monopoly on the minting of coins. Recognising the economic and political importance of having a uniform coinage in his empire, during his advance Alexander took over existing mints in the places he conquered and produced a prolific minting, while at other sites new mints were established where none had existed before. The longevity of the Alexandrian coinage was a unique phenomenon in Classical antiquity: in all, about 114 different mints produced Alexander coins over a period of 250 years. This paper is focused on the gold coins issued by Alexander III beetween 336 and 323 BC throughout the empire.

with S. Psoma in Julien Fournier, Marie-Gabrielle G. Parissaki (eds.), Les communautés du nord égéen au temps de l’hégémonie romaine. Entre ruptures et continuités, MΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 77, Athènes 2018, pp. 63-77

Shipwrecks in the waters of the Mediterranean, the Aegean and the Black Sea comprise some of the most exciting and revealing finds of antiquity. These destructive sites offer valuable information on the study of ancient marine technology, maritime trade routes, transportation of people and goods etc. The paper surveys the few shipwrecks dating from the 4th to the 1st century BC that have yielded coins. Although their number is rather modest, the existing data indicate that coinage was carried aboard as personal cash of the crew and passengers as well as for military and trading purposes. The coins -whether isolate specimens or hoards- recovered from wreck sites constitute an important piece of evidence for the maritime record of the Hellenistic and Roman Republican era. They can offer alongside pottery and other datable artefacts valuable information on the dating of wrecks as well as indications for the possible ship traveling routes.

Among the coins found in Olympia during the excavations conducted by the German Archaeological Institute in the period 1875-1881 and kept at the Athens Numismatic Museum there are three tetradrachms of Philip II of Macedon. The three specimens were found in the Prytaneion in 03/02/1879 and may have comprised a whole or part of a hoard. This small assemblage, the “Olympia, 1879” hoard, constitutes the first, until now, recorded coin hoard find that connects Philip II of Macedon with the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. Olympia played a key role in the policy and self-presentation of the Macedonian king as a champion of the Greeks and powerful ruler. This was to a large decree advertised on his silver tetradrachms and gold staters, where Philip is exposed as an Olympic victor and associated with Olympic Zeus, and the Philippeion at Olympia. It is also reflected on the mass production of his coinages and their circulation in many parts of mainland Greece. As to the Peloponnese, Philip’s silver had an important presence there during the second half of the 4th century BC. This is due to his gradual involvement in the area, the establishment of the Macedonian rule and the region’s engagement in the early wars of the Successors. The composition of the hoards indicates that Philip’s tetradrachms had been the dominant element in the monetised economy of the Peloponnese after the middle of the 4th century BC circulating alongside earlier issues on the Aeginetan weight standard. Their importance is clearly evident by the fact that Philip’s lifetime issues continued to be hoarded alongside alexanders and other Attic weight standard coinages as well as that they were occasionally joined by his post-323 BC specimens.

We suggest below that the hoard could be related to the demobilized soldiers of Craterus and/or the First War of the Diadochi (321 BC). Alexander hoards from Anatolia of the late fourth century BC are of particular interest because of their scarcity and historical importance. Despite the difficulties in information retrieval, the Turkish collector said that the hoard was complete. We cannot of course guarantee this, and the group could perhaps be only a part of the total found. All the coins were sold and their whereabouts cannot be traced.

‘Atiqot 74, 2013 Danny Syon, Catharine Lorber and Ehu d Galili In 1964, divers of the Underwater Exploration Society in Israel surveyed the shallow underwater zone adjacent to Nahal Megadim, on the Carmel coast (Fig. 1). During this survey, they discovered a concentration of bronze objects, among them coins from the Hellenistic and Mamlūk periods. The site was subsequently covered with sediments for about twenty years. In 1983, following a severe storm, the center of the site was exposed. A joint rescue expedition was carried out by the Marine Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa.1 As a result, hundreds of artifacts were documented and recovered from the site. Already in the preliminary stages of exploration it was apparent that two wrecks,

with S. Psoma in F. Duyrat, C. Grandjean (eds), Les monnaies de fouille du monde grec (VIe-Ier s. a.C.). Apports, approches et méthodes, Bordeaux 2016, p.p. 83-96

A international conference on the posthumous Alexander coinage in the Hellenistic world.

In the shallow underwater zone adjacent to Nahal Megadim on the Carmel coast, a concentration of bronze objects, among them coins from the Hellenistic and Mamluk periods, were discovered. The coins belonged to three hoards: 55 medium-sized Ptolemaic bronze coins (Hoard 1), probably from the joint reign of Cleopatra III and Ptolemy IX; 19 silver tetradrachms (Hoard 2), ranging from Ptolemy VIII to Ptolemy X (152/1–100/99 BCE); and 10 bronze coins that were found within an amphora (Hoard 3), dating between c. 180(?) and 168 BCE. It is likely that the Ptolemaic silver coins of Hoard 2 belonged to the ship’s owner, a crew member or a passenger, and were current at the time the ship was lost, thus suggesting that the ship was Ptolemaic. The presence of Ptolemaic, Seleucid and Lycian coins in Hoard 3 attests that the ship visited diverse ports, one of its last stops being in Egypt or, more likely, Cyprus.

After the conquests of Alexander the Great coinage took on new forms and spread into geographic regions it had not previously reached. Moreover it began to be issued into and used within new political and economic constructs, and it arguably started to reach sectors of the economy for which it had previously been unsuited for use. This paper focuses on these four types of change: form, geographic spread and an attendant shift in scale, systemic change and manipulation, and diversification of use. It offers outlines of the evidence for them as it is exhibited by some of the coinage, and also suggests ways in which numismatists and economic historians of the ancient world have attempted to rationalise or explain them.

In this article, numismatic material from the southern part of Pella, south of the city’s north wall of the Classical period is presented. This material is very representative, because it derives from the city of both Classical and Hellenistic eras. Around 2400 coins have been studied from three major excavation areas; 1) The new entrance of the archaeological site where three town blocks came to light, in which public buildings, such as a bath, and also pottery and metal workshops have come to light. 2) The area of the sanctuaries, where the sanctuary of Darron, a local healing god has been unearthed, as well as a circular building that is probably related to a hero cult and other buildings related to cult needs 3) Phakos, the fortified island inside lake Loudias, where Pella’s harbor and treasury was located. Furthermore, coins from rescue excavations of the surrounding plots have been studied. These come from various buildings, mostly houses. Apart from single coins, seven coin hoards have also been presented. Numismatic material from Pella can be placed in three categories according to issuing authority; a) regal coins b) issues of the Macedonian cities and the Macedonian Koina c) coins from areas outside Macedonia. These coins offer valuable information regarding the economy and the numismatic circulation during the Classical and Hellenistic period as well as the chronology of the buildings under study.

"Abstract: In the Diadochoi Chronicle from Babylon it is stated that when in spring 311 B.C. Seleukos recovered Babylon, he took the title of “general of Asia” (strategos tes Asias) from Antigonos. This decision was not accepted by his allies Ptolemy, Kassandros and Lysimachos and evidently not by Antigonos, with whom the allies made peace in the same year. This is an extra argument that Seleukos was not a partner in the peace treaty. Seleukos himself was probably officially satrap of Babylonia, but appointed Patrokles as strategos of Babylonia to defend the satrapy while he was absent. In the ensuing Babylonian war Antigonos’ son Demetrios tried to reconquer Babylonia from August 310 to March 309 B.C. In March 309 Demetrios left Babylon for Asia Minor leaving behind Archelaos as rival satrap (or strategos?) of Babylonia to carry on the war. Probably some time after 305 B.C. (when Seleukos became king) a new satrap of Babylonia was appointed. The first possible attestation is in chronicle BCHP 7 (301 B.C.?); the first certain attestation is in an astronomical diary concerning 274 B.C., acting side by side with a strategos."

The paper reports the results of die studies of three major Ptolemaic gold coinages of Alexandria: the coinage in the name of the Theoi Adelphoi, featuring the jugate busts of the two first Lagid couples; the mnaieia in the name of Arsinoe Philadelphus; and the main issue of mnaieia depicting the radiate Ptolemy III wearing the aegis like a chlamys. The die studies reveal a distinct pattern of production for each of these coinages. Metallurgical analyses identify the stocks of metal used and provide new evidence for the absolute chronology of the first two coinages. The authors also discuss other evidence relevant to chronology, hoards and circulation, and the probable functions of the three coinages.

The Ancient Coin Collectors Guild (ACCG) has launched multiple legal challenges aimed at undermining import restrictions on ancient coins into the United States in bilateral agreements with foreign countries. One key component of the ACCG's argument is that the State Department has inappropriately restricted certain types of coins according to where they were made rather than where they are found, as mandated by the 1983 Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act. Although the ACCG has thus far been unsuccessful, it has not been pointed out that existing import restrictions on coins, in fact, have been written to include coins that tended to circulate locally and that are found primarily within the borders of the country with which the bilateral agreement is made. The ACCG's argument is thus on shaky ground. As the ACCG continues to press ahead with new litigation, it is worth drawing attention to realities and probabilities of ancient coin circulation as they pertain to protected coins

The exhibition Ancient Cyprus : Cultures in Dialogue is complemented by fully illustrated catalogues in French, Dutch and English. The catalogues contain detailed descriptions of all exhibits and rich introductory texts by established authorities in Cypriot archaeology from Cyprus, Europe, America and Australia. Department of Antiquity, Nicosia, 2012. 288 pages.

Mints associated with the sanctuaries of Olympia and Epidauros transitioned from striking silver coinage on the Aiginetan weight standard to the symmachic standard, ca. 16% lighter, in the 250s or 240s BC, decades before other states in southern Greece. The light weight of these new coins dissuaded foreign visitors from removing them when they departed, stabilising the local money supply, while their types advertised the prestige of the local penteteric festivals amid increased competition from new festivals of similar status throughout the Mediterranean. This is an example of how Panhellenic sanctuaries could exert influence over monetary trends in the Hellenistic period.

Mémoire non-publié, soutenu à la Faculté des Lettres de l'Université de Lausanne en 2014