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Collective Identities, Screenshot 2026-04-26 at 16.24.29, tetradrachm of…
Collective Identities
The cistophorus
from around 167 BC down to the principate of Augustus, the main silver coins of western Asia Minor were the kistophoroi (basket-bearers)
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minted on their own epichoric weight standard with a cistophoric tetradrachm weighing 12.2 g - about three quarters of an Athenian tetradrachm at this time
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this coinage looks federal (names of various mints given in abbreviated form on the reverse) but it is actually royal Attalid coinage
surprising in how it does not indicate its Attalid origin, no royal iconography
this aligns with the ideology of late Attalid rule: large swathes of the kingdom had been a gift, so the Attalids could not claim military victory. Instead, Eumenes presented himself as a just benefactor of the Greeks, as a 'first among equals'
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Achaean League
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including Corinth, Argos, Sparta
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silver Coinage:
during the early years of the second century BC, 19 cities struck silver coins with common Achaean League types
they had a small denomination on the reduced Aeginetan standard, c. 2.50 g
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Reverse: two letters alpha and chi - the first two letters of the name Achaeans surrounded by a wreath
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bronze coinage:
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reverse: seated depiction of Achaea, with the legend 'of the Achaeans' side by side with the ethnic of the individual city
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there was a general shortage of silver in the 160s, it is possible that this bronze issue was made to substitute the earlier silver issue
Achaean vs. Aetolian:
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but the Achaean coinage is expressly a product of an alliance of cities - retained local identity under a federal banner
Aetolian League
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Coinage:
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meant to promote military victory, and ethnic pride, and an anti-Macedonian stance
later, switches to a reduced Aeginetan standard ( a drachm as c. 5 g)
some of the shields shown were a recognisable Macedonian type - trying to frame the Macedonians as the new enemy
during the time the League was at war with Macedonian king Demetrius II, coin production surged
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Lycian League
a non-Greek region that becomes Hellenized, south coast of Asia Minor
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Coinage:
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Reverse: Lyre within an inset square, and legend 'of the Lycians', with the first two letters of the city in which it was minted (PA for Patara)
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A change:
in the first century BC, there was a drastic change
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Core Argument
the Greek world is chequered and composed of fragmented poleis, so hard to compete with large empires like Macedon and Rome
therefore, there was a development of collective identities beyond the polis
such as leagues, through festivals, and through shared coinage
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Other Leagues
Acarnanians
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but later they have their own federal types, with the river-god Achelous (man-faced bull)
Epirote League
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made silver didrachms, the obverse had Zeus of Dodona and Dione in a dual-portrait
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tetradrachm of the Aetolians, c. 238 - 229 BC, one of the shields on the reverse is clearly Macedonian
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drachm of the Acarnanians, obverse is Achelous
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silver triobol of the Achaean League, struck at Corinth. The reverse has the A-CH and a winged pegasus, the civic marker of Corinth
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silver triobol of the Achaean League, struck at Sparta, abbreviated ethnic LA on reverse
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