Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Map. The Hellenistic Near East
- Introduction
- Part I PRELIMINARIES
- Part II THE UNDERLYING ECONOMY
- Part III THE ROYAL ECONOMY
- Chapter 7 PS.-Aristotle's Oikonomika, Book 2
- Chapter 8 Revenue
- Chapter 9 The handling of surpluses
- Chapter 10 Expenditure
- Chapter 11 Coinage
- Chapter 12 A model of the Seleukid economy
- Chapter 13 Financial administration
- General conclusions
- Appendix I Coin hoards lists
- Appendix 2 Documents and translations
- References
- Index
Chapter 11 - Coinage
from Part III - THE ROYAL ECONOMY
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Map. The Hellenistic Near East
- Introduction
- Part I PRELIMINARIES
- Part II THE UNDERLYING ECONOMY
- Part III THE ROYAL ECONOMY
- Chapter 7 PS.-Aristotle's Oikonomika, Book 2
- Chapter 8 Revenue
- Chapter 9 The handling of surpluses
- Chapter 10 Expenditure
- Chapter 11 Coinage
- Chapter 12 A model of the Seleukid economy
- Chapter 13 Financial administration
- General conclusions
- Appendix I Coin hoards lists
- Appendix 2 Documents and translations
- References
- Index
Summary
With regard to currency, I mean what to mint of large or small denomination and when.
That is how ps.-Aristotle reduced the king's coinage problem to its essentials. But one might also add ‘and where and why’. Or, in other words, what was the Seleukid coinage policy and how was it administered?
It has been suggested, as a hypothesis (ch. 3), that the kings' primary objective was to ensure an adequate supply of coined money from tribute and taxation with which to meet military and administrative expenses.
The first task will be to examine what the Seleukids actually coined, the mints and their production. Here Newell's two catalogues are invaluable, although they reach only to the reign of Antiochos III and new issues have been added and new attributions made since then. The picture has somewhat changed and a revised and much more extensive catalogue has now been published. Mørkholm has also contributed a detailed analysis of the coinage of Antiochos IV, while a number of articles deal with the production of specific mints or issues and will be referred to where appropriate.
Next I shall consider the different categories of coinage and their uses and it will become apparent that the silver tetradrachm was by far the most important denomination.
Finally, the circulation of tetradrachms within the empire will be studied, based on hoard and die evidence, and a picture should hopefully emerge of Seleukid coinage policy and its application.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Seleukid Royal EconomyThe Finances and Financial Administration of the Seleukid Empire, pp. 213 - 246Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2004