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

Macedonian and Thracian relations in northern Greece... 447
with Illyrian helmets on the reverse of tetradrachms in Group I points to a
military context just like the association of helmets with horses or horsemen
on tetrobols and tetradrachms can be taken among other factors to show ties
of the Illyrian helmet with horsemanship and the cavalry. 37 If Alexander
promoted his interests through occasional co-operation with thracians on
a military and monetary level, would not representations of cavalrymen
rather than hunters have been more appropriate as a subtle reminder of
power within a co-operative, yet inevitably antagonistic network?
In conclusion, what emerges from this brief consideration of
interactions between Macedonians and certain thracian peoples seems to
point rather to co-operation with common interests in view, and less to
what was considered for a long time as a struggle for power.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations for journals and corpora follow the standard types of the
American Journal of Archaeology and Numismatic Chronicle. otherwise,
the following abbreviations are used:
Ancient Macedonia V Αρχαία Μακεδονία V. Ανακοινώσεις κατά το πέμπτο διεθνές
συμπόσιο, Θεσσαλονίκη 10-15 Οκτωβρίου 1989. Στη μνήμη του Μανόλη
Ανδρόνικου. thessaloniki: Institute for Balkan Studies, Series 240, 1993.
Ancient Macedonia VI Αρχαία Μακεδονία VI. Ανακοινώσεις κατά το έκτο διεθνές
συμπόσιο, Θεσσαλονίκη 15-19 Οκτωβρίου 1996. Στη μνήμη της Ιουλίας
Βοκοτοπούλου. thessaloniki: Institute for Balkan Studies, Series 272, 1999.
Ancient Macedonia VII Αρχαία Μακεδονία VII. Η Μακεδονία από την εποχή του
Σιδήρου έως τον θάνατο του Φιλίππου Β΄. Ανακοινώσεις κατά το έβδομο
2007, 97-101; noGuerA Borel 2006,227-30; DeVelIn 1985; lIApIS 2009, 78 for
references; roISMAn 2010, 162.
37 Semantic links between obverse and reverse are commonly acknowledged, but
interpretations greatly vary. I do not see why the pairing of horsemen on the obverse
with lions on the reverse should necessarily indicate a hunting context (e.g. preStIAnI
GIAlloMBArDo and trIpoDI 1996, 324-5). lions and generally animals could refer
to courage, ferocity and prowess as the ideal properties of a warrior (for animal motifs on
shield devices and their allusions to fighting skills see now phIlIpp 2004, 32-6, 79-85,
92-101; note also the meaning of lion monuments of the war-dead: MA 2008, 75-6; loW
2003, 104-7). Actual arms and armour as well as representations of them with attached
animal parts also show that warriors frequently appropriated animal traits in warfare for
intimidation and self-assurance (recently SAuzeAu 2007, 24-31).