LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

440 ELPIDA KOSMIDOU
Secure production dates for Alexander’s coinage are needed for us to
construct robust links between its content and context. the arrangement of
coins struck in the name of Alexander by raymond in three groups (480/79-
477/6, 476/5-c.460, c.460-451) found support from Kraay and Cahn. Both
develop their arguments upon the evidence of the Asyut hoard, which
price and Waggoner dated to c.475. An octadrachm of Alexander in this
hoard, which raymond dated in 465-460, prompted price and Waggoner
to dismiss raymond’s scheme and suggest a higher date for group II, prior
to the terminal date of the hoard. Such a solution is not viable, as Kraay
demonstrated, since it requires the reversal of raymond’s groups I and II of
octadrachms, the sequence of which is correctly grounded on the stylistic
development of punch dies. Kraay further suggested an overlap of the two
groups with a few dies of group I being slightly earlier than the first issues
of group II and sees not a successive, but a parallel development of both
groups. 3 A recent revival of Kraay’s theory by Tačeva advances the idea
of a simultaneous striking of all groups, which, however, overlooks the
disparity of styles between groups I and III. 4 less ambiguous is the case
of Alexander’s tetradrachms after Wartenberg’s identification of a die-link
between groups II and III. 5 the placement of the rider/caduceus tetradrachms
in group II by Kremidi-Sisilianou finds support from a tetradrachm in the
British Museum (hersh Collection 1023) of rider/goat types, the obverse of
which was most likely re-cut on Kremidi-Sisilianou’s no. 3. 6
3 rAyMonD 1953; prICe and WAGGoner 1975,38-9,117-25; KrAAy
1977,190-3; CAhn 1977,284 (hoard downdated to c.460; same view by VICKerS
1985,39-41).
4 TAČEVA 1992,59. striking differences of style between contemporary coin
series struck for the same authority may result from the work of engravers from radically
different backgrounds or abilities within the same mint, a rather questionable scenario
unless corroborating evidence exists, or from different mints in synchronous operation.
Tačeva (1992, 66) suggests larissa and Akanthos as alternative, not complementary,
mints. larissa is an attractive candidate, given the resemblance of its early fifth-century
horseman series with Alexander’s, but its distance from the mines raises doubts. regarding
Akanthos, I see no reason why similar reverse styles make it a stronger candidate than
others in the region.
5 WArtenBerG 2002.
6 KreMIDI-SISIlIAnou 1999. It is worth considering whether the short-lived
rider/caduceus series was struck prior to the rider/goat series of Group II with certain
dies of the former re-cut for the later. the re-cutting of dies is known for groups II and
III of tetradrachms (WArtenBerG 2002,86) as well as generally in the region (see e.g.
WArtenBerG 1998 (providing an attribution to a northern Greek mint is correct). I
would like to thank here Andrew Meadows for permission to see pieces from the hersh
collection a few years ago.