Hellenistic coinage

Question 1

Who was the most well attested Greco-Bactrian king in coinage?

Answer 1

King Eukratides I

Question 2

For how long did the Greco-Bactrian kingdom last? Main territory?

Answer 2

c256-c120 BCE
area between caspian sea (in east), indian ocean (in south), himalayas (in west) and scythia (in north)

Question 3

What are the features of Eukratides’ coin portrait?

Answer 3

helmet adorned with bulls horn and ear
small straight nose
diadem
usually w ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΕΥΚΡΑΤΙΔΟΥ legend

Question 4

Where and why did Ptol I intercept AtG’s body?

Answer 4

Damascus
he claimed AtG wanted to be buried at T of Zeus Ammon

Question 5

Why are the coins of Hell kingdoms important?

Answer 5

only record of the appearances of kings and a means to chronologically order them
AND first series of portraits in human history (except from stylized Egyptian pharaohs)

Question 6

What specific type of coins in greece were good precedents for that of Alexander and his successors?

Answer 6

satrapal coinage that included idelaized heads representing indivs and names

Question 7

What was the basic formula set by AtG portrait coins?

Answer 7

obv: head of king w attrivutes of kingship and divinity
rev: protecting deity w surrounding royal name and and title

Question 8

What dynasties used the repeted portrait of their founder on coinage? What dynasties minted current kings’ portraits?

Answer 8

Attalids, Ptolemies
Seleucids, Bactrian kings

Question 9

Who was the portrait on Attalid coins?

Answer 9

Philetaerus

Question 10

What was a signif departure in Ptolemiac portraiture?

Answer 10

portraying queens and using their names
unique in doing this in hellenistic world

Question 11

What was rare in Seleukid portraits? Exceptions?

Answer 11

adornment other than diadem
Seleucus I had bull’s horn; Antiochus VI has radiate crown

Question 12

What kingdom was Bactria originall part of? Signif for coins?

Answer 12

Seleukids
The kings largely imitated model of Seleukid king coinage

Question 13

Why was militarised styling so important for the Bactrian kings?

Answer 13

constantly maintaining territory from very different groups of people not easy to find common ground w

Question 14

What was different about the kingly legends of the Bactrian kingdom coins?

Answer 14

basileus = genitive siggesting the coin is to an extent the property of teh king displayed not just indicative of his title

Question 15

Why did kings have honourary titles (e.g. Nikator)?

Answer 15

distinguish between rulers of the same name (no numbers used in antiquity)

Question 16

What was a consistent feature of Hellenistic king coins even by non-Greek rulers?

Answer 16

greek script and iconography

Question 17

What changed on the reverse between kings of Macedonian kingdom? Examples?

Answer 17

deity depicted
Dem Poliorcetes used Poseidon to allude to his naval victories; Philip V used club of Heracles to refer back to Macedonian family’s descent from the hero; Perseus used eagle on a thunderbolt to refer to Zeus

Question 18

What was the continuous rev type of the Attalids?

Answer 18

seated Athena

Question 19

What was the continuous rev type of the Ptolemies? Signif?

Answer 19

eagle carrying a thunderbolt
symbol of absolute power which was what the ptol ruler had rights to

Question 20

What rev type was usually accompanying ptol queen coins? Signif?

Answer 20

single/double cornucopiae bound w a diadem
symbol of fertility

Question 21

What was the usual reverse type for Seleukid kings’ coins from Antiochus I to Antiochus IV? What change did Antiochus IV make? Pattern after this?

Answer 21

Apollo seated/standing
Zeus replaced Apollo
much more varied

Question 22

What little do we know of the reverse types of Bactrian kings?

Answer 22

they were wholly greek
changed upon succession of new king

Question 23

What is the term that refers to the way in which indiv kings had distinct look and where presented in such a way under the name of larger dynasty on coins?

Answer 23

charismatic individuality

Question 24

What were three themes in the Hellenistic royal coin iconography?

Answer 24

charismatic individualism
dynastic/familial continuity and solidarity
similarity between dynasties

Question 25

How does Thonemann explain the emergence of individualised portraiture on coins in Hellenistic p?

Answer 25

kings had to work for their power more than ever before as dynastic grip was changeable and constantly under threat
reputations of leaders were vital in generating popularity and thus could be powerful symbols of dynasty’s strength

Question 26

What Hellenistic dynasties stuck with the same king portrait for multiple generations?

Answer 26

Ptolemies - Ptolemy I Soter for over 2.5 cents
Attalids - Philetaerus for 100+ yrs after his death

Question 27

What dynasty unusually depicted its women on their coins? Which women? Why?

Answer 27

Ptolemies
Arsinoe II and Berenice I - same coins w former as obv w husband/brother Ptol II and latter on rev w husband Ptolemy I.
AND solely Arsinoe II on tetradrachms after her death by Ptol II; then Ptol III did the same for his deified wife Berenice II.
Likely as a representation of blood-links and solidarity/continuity of family

Question 28

What was the iconographical formulae of kingship on Hellenistic coinage followed by most kings? Signif?

Answer 28

-obv: right-facing royal portrait bust - reigning king/dynastic founder/alexander
-rev: full length portrait of a deity, flanked by a legend running top to bottom
-kings as beardless w curly hair of medium length, usually c20-30 yrs of age
-diadem bound around the head just above the ear
There was almost unspoken idea of what an ideal king should be and how they should act, despite the local differences and distinct dynastic interests.