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

CHRONOLOGY OF THE COINS OF CHIOS. 213seem to show that they were introduced gradually,and did not replace the older issues once for all.I amtherefore taking refuge in the vagueness of the phrase" reign of Augustus ", which allows for the overlappingof the two styles, while not defining the limits ofeither too closely.With regard to the coins belonging to the early partof the periodit will be seen that the silver issuesattributed to these years are less plentiful than thosethat I am supposing to have immediately precededthe exile in Pontus. This is what might have beenexpected, thoughit will be understood that the selectionI have made ismainly arbitrary, helped out by thepeculiarities of style that I am noting below. Accordingto the arrangement I am suggesting there areonly fourteen names extant on drachms to cover thefifty-four years between 84 and 30 B.C., and allexcept three are represented by onlytheseone or twospecimens each. A novelty in the silver coinage isthe introduction of a divisional piece, probably adiobol [PL IX. 9].From the style of the fewspecimens that we have these coins seem to have beenstruck to accompany some of the last autonomousdrachms, though, in the absence of any magistrate'sname, this cannot be stated with certainty. The issuesare undoubtedly late, in any case, and no other similarones appear to have been made.The bronze belonging to this part of the period ismore plentiful than the silver, both in the number ofissues known and in the quantity of their individualspecimens.There are a few pieces of large module22 mm. average [PI. IX. 3] which may possibly havebeen struck before the coining of silver was resumed.