The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal ... - IndianCoins.org

CHRONOLOGY OF THE COINS OF CHIOS. 211though it is not the only one. Julius Caesar is104described in one of the local inscriptions as abenefactor of the island, but in his case the term mayonly have been used in a general sense. Also, inaddition to the drachms recording the gift of theAntiochus whose identity is in dispute, there is aunique variety [PI. IX. 10],of about the same datethe drachms with ZEBAZTOY, whichapparently asseems to refer to some act of generosity on the part ofa Roman settler in the island.All these records, it will be noted, point to eventsthat occurred before the end of the first centuryB. c."Why Herod should have behaved so bountifullytowards an obscure Greek state is not clear, but itseems probable that the Chian population at this periodincluded a Jewish colony of some importance. A similarreason very likely called forth the assistance of theking of Commagene, while the Roman benefactor nodoubt held property in the state.One of the features of the period now under reviewis the number of coins contained in it that are capableof being dated with some approach to accuracy. Besidesthe three issues of drachms just mentioned there is thebronze coin with a galloping horseman on the obverse[PI. IX. 14] that was evidently modelled on the Republicanissues of various members of the Calpurnia Gens,88-50 B. c. 105 From the analogy of other local coins thisChian issue must have followed its Roman prototype atsome considerable distance, though, as I shall try to show,it was probably struck several years before the accession104Boeckh, C. I. G*, No. 2214 g.105 See Grueber, Brit. Miis. Cat. of Roman Republic, Pis. xxxiii,xlvi, and xlvii.