The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

74 E. S. G. ROBINSON.
Now No. 28 is one of the large series of drachms and
hemidrachms, issued equally at Gyrene and at Barce,to
which reference has been made above. That series
overlaps and so connects the first and second groups of
this period, i. e. its date is c. 480-460. Nos. 23-7, or
at least Nos. 23 and 27, are therefore not later than
c. 480. But here we are faced with a historical diffi-
culty, since the accepted
date of the foundation of
Euesperides is c. 460.48
Most of our information about the early history of
Euesperides is contained in Pindar, Pythian V, and
the Scholiast's notes thereto. The relevant passage runs
as follows: TavTa Sk Tnorourcu [6 AiSvpos] TrapaTiOt-
ra GtorifJLov K TOV TrpcoTOV Trepl Kvprji>r)$ oy 81' avTov ray '.Eo-Trep^ay oiKicrai 7re//7ret
IJL\V e/9 ray TravrjyvpeLS ITTTTOVS a^X^cro^ray Ev(f>r]fjLov
ayovTa, viKrja-as Se ra IlvOia Kal TTJV kavrov irarptSa
o-T(/)dva)o- Kal enoiKovs e/y ray 'Eo-Trep^ay crvveXeyev.
\v ovv T\VTa' KdppcoTos #e rfjs 'ApK(ri\dov
6 roivvv TlivSapos roi)y eraipov y KaQo[JLi\>v TO Karanpa-
X0\v TEvrifj.(t> ra> Kappa>Ta> Trpoo-^x/re' povov yap Karop-
Oaxrai (f)rj(nv avrov ayayovra TO o-TpaTLcoTLKov.^
This passage has been taken to prove that Euesperides
was founded by Arcesilas IV to secure his uncertain
throne. 50 But surely this is not the natural interpretation
of the passage : in such a case we should have expected
! / /.s/ . X,t
m.\ p. 873, Euesperides, and Pauly-Wissowa (where
.o account of the city itself is given), s.v. Hesperiden, "Die nach ,
der Uberliefemng 460 gegrtindete Stadt Euesperides "
Find., Schol. (Teubner), pp. 175-6.
" Urn sein wankendes Regiment zu stutzen." Busolt ii. 2 535.