Argilos, A Hitorical and Nomismatic Study
Κυκλοφορεί
ISBN: 978-960-88985-0-9
1η έκδ., Αγγλικά
€ 54.74 (περ. ΦΠΑ 6%)
Βιβλίο, Χαρτόδετο
27 x 20 εκ, 1,468 γρ, 404 σελ.
Περιγραφή

[...] Our present study is divided into four Parts. Part I is devoted to the geography and history of Argilos and Bisaltia. The first chapter chronicles the attempts to find the ancient city of Argilos, until it was finally successfully located, in the 19th century, at a site called Palaiokastron on the Bisaltian coast, west of the river Strymon. This is followed by the geography and history of all Bisaltia, in order to provide a full picture and grasp of the wider environs of Argilos. Described for the same reason are also the cities, settelements and sites of Bisaltia mentioned in the sources or revealed by the archaeological spade, including also those mentioned in the sources but as yet unidentified.
Argilos comprises a separate entity in Part I, with full examination of all existing sources, literary, epigraphical and archaeological, so as to compose its history. We have paid particular attention to the founding of the city in the 7th century B.C. in connection with general speculation about the composition of the colonists, whether they were solely Andrians or included also Greeks from further south. The question of the origin of the name Argilos has elicited discussion and it was therefore necessary to include the traditional ancient interpretations, as well as the various attempts by modern scholars. [...]
In the second Part of the book, the corpus of the Argilos numismatic material is catalogued and analysed. Two phases can be distinguished in the mint`s production. The first takes in the chronological period from around 520/515 B.C. to approximately the middle of the 5th century B.C. It includes the silver coins of the city, struck on the `Thraco-Macedonian` and Euboian weight standards. To the second phase belong the bronze coins, issued during the second quarter of the 4th century B.C. [...]
The third Part of the study comprises matters of mythology, numismatic typology, style, metrology, the technique and the inscriptions on the coins. The mythological foundation of the basic type, Pegasos, shown on the Argilos coins, and its comrade the hero Bellerophon is introduced. Plausible versions of interpretation of the adoption of Pegasos by the mint of Argilos are discussed in connection with other myths. It became necessary to refer also to the coins of other issuing authorities that likewise depicted Pegasos on their coins, such as Corinth, various Asia Minor or other cities. [...]
Part IV covers the geographical range of circulation of the coins of Argilos in areas neighbouring and further removed, where the coins have been discovered in excavations or where their provenance is known through valid information. Studied in a separate chapter were all the excavation coins brought to light by the spade in the course of fifteen years of excavation at Argilos. These are silver and bronze coins issued by the city itself, foreign coins and coins of the kings, of cities nearby or further away. Study of the numismatic circulation within the city, which we divided into five periods, yielded interesting results. It enabled us to ascertain its economic floruit beginning in the last quarter of the 6th century B.C. and its gradual decline until around the middle of the 2nd century B.C. [...]
Our fragmentary knowledge of the history of the ancient region of Bisaltia and the lack of recent corpora of the northern Greek mints impelled the publication of this book. Our purpose was to throw light on a Late Archaic mint of the northern Greek region and to attain a definitive classification and attribution of the Pegasos coins to the mint of Argilos. The study of the Andrian colony of Argilos establishes the political, economic and numismatic history of the city and shows it to be an important centre on the coast of Bisaltia from Late Archaic to Hellenistic times.


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PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE
GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF ARGILOS AND BISALTIA
THE LOCATION OF BISALTIAN ARGILOS
IBISALTIA
Geography and history of the region
Cities, settlements and sites of Bisaltia
Kerdylion
Tragilos
Berge
Brea
Himeraion
Sykine
Bedyndia
Bisaltia
Kalliterai
Ossa
Euporia
Oreskeia and Tintos
ARGILOS
Foundation of the colony
Name of the city
Archaeological research at Argilos
History of Argilos
PART TWO
THE COINAGE OF ARGILOS
FIRST PHASE OF PRODUCTION. SILVER COINAGE
Period I (c. 520/515-c. 510 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
Period II (c. 510-c. 500 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
Period III (c. 500-c. 495 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
Period IV (c. 495-c. 478/477 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
Issues of Argilos struck on the Euboian standard
Period V (c. 478/477-c. 470 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
Period VI (c. 470-c. 460 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
Period VII (c. 460/455 B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
ISECOND PHASE OF PRODUCTION. BRONZE COINAGE
Period VIII (c. Second quarter of the 4th century B.C.)
The coinage
Chronology and historical background
Catalogue
PART THREE
GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE COINAGE OF ARGILOS
MYTHOLOGY AND INTERPRETATION OF THE MAIN NUMISMATIC TYPES
The legend of Pegasos and Bellerophon
Apollo
The lion
NUMISMATIC TYPES
Main types
Pegasos
Pegasos and the dog
Bellerophon
Apollo head
Lion head
Incuse square
Symbols
Pellets
Plant motif and rose
Vine with bunch of grapes
Other obverse typological details
Border of dots
Ground line
STYLE
Stylistic analysis
Engravers
THE LEGEND OF THE COINS
METROLOGY
Metrological study
The reduced 'Thraco-Macedonian' weight standard of the 6th/5th century B.C.
The Euboian weight standard
Conclusions
THE MINT TECHNIQUES
Flan of the coins, overstrucks, double-strucks
Die use
PART FOUR
NUMISMATIC CIRCULATION
HOARDS AND OTHER PROVENANCES OF THE ARGILIAN COINS
The evidence of the hoards
Other provenances of the Argilian coins
COINS FROM THE ARGILOS EXCAVATIONS
A hoard of silver coins of Akanthos, Argilos 2003
Excavation coins
Catalogue
Commentary
Conclusions
Lead discs
APPENDIX
Suspected forgeries
Varia
ABBREVIATIONS
Numismatic abbreviations
Museums, public and private collections
Sale catalogues
Hoards
Numismatic catalogues and published collections
Abbreviations of ancient sources
Inscriptions
Ancient authors
Abbreviations of bibliography
INDICES
Prosopography of Argilos
General Index
SUMMARY IN GREEK
KEYS
Key to charts and tables
Key to plates
PLATES