Alexander’s Western successors (see below). Among the islands of Thrace, Imbros with its trace of Pelasgic worship, and, equally with Lemnos, showing evidence of Athenian dominion, and Samothrace with the Asiatic worship of Cybele yield in interest to Thasos. Here a long and remarkable currency begins with very early Persic didrachms, the obverse type a Silenus carrying a nymph, the reverse an incuse square of four divisions. Under the Athenian supremacy we see a decline of weight, and in style the attainment of high excellence. After this we observe coins of Phoenician weight, bearing for their obverse types the head of Dionysus. These are of the best period of art, and some tetradrachms are among the Very finest Greek coins. The head of Dionysus is treated in a sculptural style that is remarkably broad and grand. The massive, powerful features, and the formal hair, nearly falling to the neck in regular curls like those of the full beard, are relieved by a broad wreath of ivy-leaves, designed with great delicacy and simplicity. The reverse bears a Heracles kneeling on one knee and discharging his bow—a subject powerfully treated. Of a far later period there are large tetradrachms, much resembling those of Maronea, with the same type of the beardless Dionysus, but on the reverse Heracles.
The money of Macedonia both civic and regal is of great variety and interest. It begins at an early time, probably towards the end of the 6th century B.C.. The old pieces are of silver, bronze having come into use a century later, and gold about the middle of the 4th century B.C. The character of the coinage resembles that of Thrace; Macedonia. the earliest pieces are of the Phoenician, Babylonic and Attic standards. The most remarkable denominations are the pieces of eight and twelve Phoenician drachms. The largest coins are of the time of Alexander I. (498–454), and somewhat earlier, and indicate the metallic wealth of the country more than its commercial activity. The chief groups of coins are those of the Pangaean, Bisaltian, Strymonian and Chalcidian districts, of the kings of Macedon and Paeonia, and of Macedon under the Romans. This last series begins with the coins of the “regions” issued by permission of the senate and bearing the name of the Macedonians, from 158 to 150 B.C.; these are followed by coins of the Roman generals against Andriscus and of the pretender himself, and, from 146 onwards, of the Roman province. Under the empire a large series of bronze coins was issued in the name of the Koinon, i.e. the provincial diet. As regards the earlier civic coinage: the coinage of Acanthus comprises fine archaic tetradrachms of Attic weight and others of Phoenician weight and very vigorous in style, of the commencement of the period of good art. The type of their obverse is a lion seizing a bull (cf. Herodot. vii. 125 f.). The money of Aeneia is chiefly interesting from its bearing the head of the hero Aeneas; and on one extraordinary coin of archaic fabric, an Attic tetradrachm, the subject is the hero carrying Anchises from Troy, preceded by Creusa carrying Ascanius; this is in date before 500 B.C. The town of Amphipolis is represented by a long series. There are Phoenician tetradrachms of about 400 B.C. having on the obverse a head of Apollo, facing, sometimes in a splendid style, which recalls the art of the immediate successors of Pheidias (Pl. I. fig. 12). The reverse type is a flaming race-torch in an incuse square. The territory of Chalcidice is eminent for the excellence of some of its silver coins. There is a very early Attic tetradrachm of Olynthus, with a quadriga, and an eagle within a double square, which reminds us of the idea of the great Sicilian currencies, the record of Olympic victory. The Phoenician tetradrachms of the best period struck by the Chalcidian League (392–379 B.C., and later), Olynthus being probably the mint, are of great stylistic interest (Pl. I. fig. 13). The obverse bears the head of Apollo in profile crowned with laurel. It is in very high relief and treated with great simplicity, though not with the severity of somewhat earlier pieces. The delicacy of the features is balanced by the simple treatment of the hair and the broad wreath of laurel. On the reverse is a lyre. There is an early series of coins of Lete, none later than about 480. The obverse type is a satyr with a nymph, and on the reverse is an incuse square divided fourfold, first diagonally and then in squares. Mende has money of Attic weight, the types being connected with Silenus, who on a tetradrachm of fine style is portrayed reclining, a wine-vase in his hand, on the back of an ass; the reverse bears a vine. Of Neapolis (Datenon) there are early coins with the Gorgon’s head and the incuse square, which in the period of fine art gives way to a charming head of the “Virgin Goddess” crowned with olive. The coins of Philippi in the three metals are mainly of the time of Philip II., who, having found a rich gold mine near Crenides, changed its name to Philippi. The gold coins are Attic staters, the silver pieces of the Phoenician or Macedonian Weight, like Philip’s own money. The earliest bear the name of the “Thasians of the Mainland,” who immediately preceded Philip’s colony. All bear the head of young Heracles in a lion’s skin, and a tripod. Imperial pieces were struck by the city as a colonia. There is a long but late series of Thessalonica which in the time of the regions was the mint of the second region; the numerous bronze coins of the Roman period show a figure of Cabirus among other types. Uranopolis has a few coins with very curious astronomical types, probably issued by the eccentric Alexarchus, brother of Cassander. The issues of the Thraco-Macedonians are extremely interesting. They are all just anterior to, or it may be contemporary with, Alexander I. of Macedon. The leading coins are octadrachms of the Phoenician standard. They have usually but one type, the reverse bearing a quadripartite incuse square. Their sudden appearance and heavy weight are due to the working of the silver mines on the border of Macedonia and Thrace. The usual types are a warrior leading a horse or a yoke of oxen. The coins bear the names of the Bisaltae, Getas, king of the Edoni, the Orrescii and other tribes. Besides these there are very curious Attic decadrachms of the Derronians of Sithonia, bearing the unusual type of an ox-car, in which is a figure seated, and on the reverse a symbol of three legs.
The oldest coins of the Macedonian kings are of Alexander I., from 498 to 454 B.C., the contemporary of Xerxes. These are Phoenician octadrachms, having on the obverse a cavalryman by the side of a horse, and coins of a lower denomination with the same or a similar type. The money of Alexander’s Kings of Macedonia. successors illustrates the movement of art, but it is not until the reign of Philip II. that we have an abundant coinage. He first strikes gold pieces, chiefly Attic didrachms, from the produce of his mine near Philippi (Pl. I. fig. 14). They are of fair style, and bear on the obverse the head of Ares. On the reverse is a victorious Olympic biga. These coins were afterwards known as Φιλίππειοι and the gold money of Alexander as Ἀλεξάνδρειοι—appellations which probably did not include larger or smaller pieces. Horace calls the gold coins of Philip “Philips” (“regale nomisma Philippos,” Epist. ii. 1, 232). The silver coinage of Philip is mainly composed of tetradrachms of the Phoenician standard (Pl. I. fig. 15). Their type of obverse is a head of Zeus and of reverse either a horseman wearing a causia or a victor in the horse-race with a palm—these last coins being the best of Philip’s, although the horse is clumsy.
The coinage of Alexander the Great, both in the number of the cities where it was issued and in its abundance, excels all other Greek regal money; but its art is, without being despicable, far below excellence. The system of both gold and silver is Attic. The gold coins are distaters or gold tetradrachms, staters or didrachms (see Pl. I. fig. 17), hemistaters or drachms, with their half or a smaller denomination. The types of the distaters or staters, which last were the most common pieces, are for the obverse the head of Athena and for the reverse Victory bearing a naval standard. The largest silver piece is the decadrachm, which is of extreme rarity. The types of the tetradrachms and most of the lower coins are on the obverse the head of Heracles in the lion’s skin and on the reverse Zeus seated, bearing on his hand an eagle (Pl. I. fig. 16). The head has been supposed to be that of Alexander, but this is not the case, although there may be some assimilation to his portrait. The great currency was of tetradrachms. The coinage was struck in different cities, distinguished by proper symbols and monograms. The classification of the series is difficult, but is gradually advancing. (For Alexander’s Eastern coinage see § iv. Oriental Coins.)
The coinage of Alexander is followed by that of Philip Arrhidaeus, with the same types in gold and silver. That of Alexander IV. was issued by Ptolemy I. alone. In these coins the types of Alexander were modified, the dead king being represented with the ram’s horn of Ammon, and wearing an elephant’s skin head-dress and aegis. Meanwhile Seleucus, Lysimachus, Antigonus, king of Asia, struck Alexander’s money with their own names, and the tetradrachms of Macedonia were generally of this kind until the time of Philip V. The same coinage, marked by a large flat form, was reissued later by
