Plotinopolis: A Provincial Mint in Thrace

Öz

In the Roman province of Thrace twenty-two mints were gradually established, issuing bronze coins that featured either the emperor’s portrait or the head of a god/goddess. Among these, Plotinopolis began its monetary production under the reign of Antoninus Pius and ceased operations in the early 3rd century AD, shortly after the assassination of Caracalla. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a concise overview of the classification of Plotinopolis’ coinage, with particular attention given to its metrology and die production. Moreover, a comparison of its metrological standards with those of contemporary mints in Thrace aims to shed light on the potential existence of a unified metrological system across the province.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Plotinopolis
• Roman provincial coins
• Roman Thrace
• metrology
• common dies
• monetary network

Kaynakça

1. Abdy 2012 R. Abdy, “The Severans”, in W.E. Metcalf (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, 499-513. Oxford – New York 2012. google scholar
2. Adams 1986 J.P. Adams, “Topeiros Thraciae, the Via Egnatia and Boundaries of Macedonia”, στο Ανακοινώσεις κατά το τέταρτο διεθνές συμπόσιο, Θεσσαλονίκη, 21-25 Σεπτεμβρίου 1983, Ίδρυμα Μελετών Χερσονήσου του Αίμου 204, Αρχαία Μακεδονία 4, 17-42. Θεσσαλονίκη 1986. google scholar
3. Adams 1997 J.P. Adams, “Communications in southeastern Thrace in the Roman period”, στο Τριαντάφυλλος – Τερζοπούλου 1997β, Ι, 135-147. google scholar
4. Andrianou 2017 D. Andrianou, Memories in Stone. Figured Grave Reliefs from Aegean Thrace, ΜΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 75. Athens 2017. google scholar
5. Asdracha 1976 C. Asdracha, La region des Rhodopes aux XIIIe et XIVe siecles. Etudes de geographie historique, Text und Forschungen zur byzantinish-neugriechischen Philologie 49. Athènes 1976. google scholar
6. Bakalakis – Triandaphyllos 1978 G. Bakalakis – D. Triandaphyllos, “Excavations at Plotinopolis 1977”, Balkan Studies 19 (1978) 239-247. google scholar
7. Boteva 2013 D. Boteva, “Emperor Septimius Severus and his Family Members visiting the province of Thrace: AD 193-204”, στο Parissaki 2013, 85-98. google scholar
8. Burrell 2004 Β. Burell, Neokoroi: Greek cities and Roman emperors. Leiden – Boston 2004. google scholar

9. Butcher 2015 K. Butcher, “Debasement and decline of Rome”, in: R. Bland – D. Calomino (eds.), Studies in Ancient Coinage in Honour of Andrew Burnett. London 2015. google scholar
10. Butcher 2020 K. Butcher (ed.), Debasement. Manipulation of Coin Standards in Pre-Modern Monetary Systems. Oxford – Philadelpheia 2020.google scholar
11. Chryssanthaki-Nagle 2007 K. Chryssanthaki-Nagle, L’Histoire monetaire d’Abdère en Thrace (VIe s.av. J.-C. – IIe s. ap. J.-C.), ΜΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 51. Athènes 2007.google scholar
12. de Pury-Gysel 2017 A. de Pury-Gysel, Die Goldbüste des Septimius Severus. Gold- und Silberbüsten römischer Kaiser. Basel – Frankfurt 2017. google scholar
13. de Pury-Gysel 2019 A. de Pury-Gysel, “The gold buls (imago) of Septimius Severus from Didymoteicho (Plotinopolis)”, JRA 32 (2019) 313-328. google scholar
14. Calomino 2015 D. Calomino, “From Thrace to Lesbos. Coinage and cities across the Hellespont in the 3rd century AD”, in: R. Bland – D. Caolomino, Studies in Ancient Coinage in Honour of Andrew Burnett, 207-222. London 2015. google scholar
15. Estiot 2012 S. Estiot, “The Later Third century”, in: W.E. Metcalf, Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, 538-560. Oxford. google scholar
16. Evangelidis 2021 V. Evangelidis, “The Impact of Rome on the Landscapes of Aegean Thrace: an Archaeological Approach”, Annuario 99 (2021) 503-516.google scholar
17. Evangelidis (Forthcoming) V. Evangelidis, “Evaluating the Impact of Via Egnatia on Aegean Thrace during the Imperial Period: Orthodoxies and Considerations”, στο Roads, Communication and Mobility, 3rd International Conference “Roman and Late Antique Thrace” (RaLATh), 18-21 October 2018, Komotini.google scholar
18. Gounaropoulou – Chatzopoulos 1998 Λ. Γουναροπούλου – Μ.Β. Χατζόπουλος, Επιγραφές της Κάτω Μακεδονίας, τ. Α΄: Επιγραφές Βέροιας. Athens 1998. google scholar
19. Howgego 1985 C. Howgego, Greek Imperial Countermarks: Studies in the Provincial Coinage of the Roman Empire, Royal Numismatic Society 17. London 1985. google scholar
20. Koutsoumanis – Tsoka (forthcoming) M. Koutsoumanis – A. Tsoka, “Objects from Plotinopolis Didymoteichou (Evros Perfecture): An Initial Approach”, M. Sayar (επιμ.), 11th International Congress of Thracology, 8-12 November 2010, Istanbul. google scholar
21. Kraft 1972 K. Kraft, Das System der Kaiserzeitlichen Münzpragung in Kleinasien. Istanbuler Forschungen 29. Berlin 1972. google scholar
22. Kremydi 1996 Σ. Κρεμύδη-Σισιλιάνου, Η νομισματοκοπία της Ρωμαϊκής Αποικίας του Δίου, Βιβλιοθήκη της Ελληνικής Νομισματικής Εταιρείας 4. Αθήνα 1996.google scholar
23. Lolos 2007 Y. Lolos, “Via Egnatia after Egnatius: Imperial Policy and Inter-regional Contacts”, στο I. Malkin – Chr. Constantakopoulou – K. Panagopoulou (επιμ.), Greek and Roman Networks in the Mediterranean, Mediterranean Historical Review 22, 273-293. New York 2007. google scholar
24. Loukopoulou 1987 L.D. Polychronidou-Loukopoulou, “Provinciae Macedoniae Finis Orientalis: the Establishment of the Eastern Frontier”, στo M.B. Hatzopoulos – L.D. Loukopoulou, Two Studies in Ancient Macedonian Topography, ΜΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 3, 63-100. Athens 1987. google scholar
25. Madzharov, M. 2009 Roman roads in Bulgaria, Contributtion to the Development of roman road system in the provinces of Moesia and Thrace, Veliko Tarnovo. google scholar
26. Papaevangelou 2009 C. Papaevangelou-Genakos, “The Metrology of the Coinage of Amphipolis in Imperial Times”, στο Στ. Δρούγου – Δ. Ευγενίδου – Χ. Κριτζάς – Β. Πέννα – Η. Τσούρτη – Μ. Γαλάνη-Κρίκου – Ευτ. Ράλλη (επιμ.), Κερμάτια Φιλίας, Τιμητικός Τόμος για τον Ιωάννη Τουράτσογλου, Αιγαιακή Βιβλιοθήκη 2110, Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού – Νομισματικό Μουσείο. Αθήνα 2009. google scholar
27. Psoma S. – Karadima, Ch. - Terzopoloulou, D. 2008. The Coins from Maroneia and the Classical City at Molyvoti. A Contribution to the History of Aegean Thrace. Meletemata 62. Athens. google scholar
28. Schönert-Geiss, E. 1987. Die Münzprägung von Maroneia. Griechisches Münzwerk. Berlin. google scholar
29. Schönert-Geiss, E. 1968. Das Ende der Provinzialprägung in Thrakien und Mösien. – Klio 50, 251-256. google scholar
30. Soustal, P. 1991. Thrakien (Thrake, Rodope, Haimimontos). TIB 6. Wien. google scholar
31. Schultz 1999 H.-D. Schultz, “‘Die-Sharing’ in Thrakien”, Annotazioni Numismatiche 36 (1999) 829-833. google scholar
32. Tasaklaki 2018 M. Tasaklaki, “The Presence of Roman and Provincial Coins in Aegean Thrace: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis”, in: L. Vagalinski – D. Boteva – M. Raycheva – N. Sharankov (eds.), Cities, Territories and Identities, 1st International Roman and Late Antique Thrace Conference, 7-10 October 2016, Plovdiv. Bulletin of the National Archaeological Institute 44, 279-288. Sofia 2018. google scholar
33. Tasaklaki 2020 Μ.Ι. Τασακλάκη, Η Νομισματοκοπία της Πλωτινοπόλεως και της Τοπείρου. Συμβολή στην Ιστορία της Ρωμαϊκής Επαρχίας της Θράκης. Corfu 2020. Unpublished Dissertation, Ionian Univesity. google scholar
34. Tasaklaki 2021 M. Tasaklaki, “Changes of cultural and religious identity through the iconography of the so called pseudo-autonomous coins of the cities of Roman Thrace”, in Ul. Peter – Vl. Stolba (eds.), Thrace - Local Coinage and Regional Identity. Numismatic Research in the Digital Age, Berlin 15-17 April 2015, 377-417. Berlin Studies of the Ancient World. Berlin 2021. google scholar
35. Tasaklaki 2024 M. Tasaklaki, “Aegean Thrace and barbaric invasions from the mid-3rd to the end of the 4th c. AD based on numismatic data”, in L. Vagalinki, M. Raycheva (eds), Conflicts and Catastrophes in Roman and Late Antique Thrace, Roman and Late Antique Thrace Conference IV, Burgas, 12-16 October 2020, BNIA 40, 95-104. Sofia 2024. google scholar
36. Xeidakis, G.S. 1997. “Design and Construction of Roman Roads, the Case of Via Egnatia in the Aegean Thrace, N. Greece”, in Environmental and Engineering Geoscience II, 1, 123-132. google scholar
37. Koutsoumanis 2007 Κουτσουμανής, Μ. 2007. Πλωτινόπολις Διδυμοτείχου: Στα ίχνη της διαδρομής της κατά τους κλασικούς και ρωμαϊκούς χρόνους. In: Iakovidou, A. (ed.). Thrace in the Graeco-Roman World. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Thracology, Komotini - Alexandroupolis, 18 - 23 october 2005. Athens. 326-332. google scholar
38. Koutsoumanis et al. 2013 Μ. Κουτσουμανής – Α. Τσόκα – Χρ. Κεκές, «Η συνέχιση της ανασκαφικής έρευνας στη Θυρέα και στην Πλωτινόπολη Διδυμοτείχου», ΑΕΜΘ 23 (2009)[2013], 465-470. google scholar
39. Samothrakis 1940 Α.Θ. Σαμοθράκης, «Ἕβρος ποταμός», Θρακικά 13 (1940) 33-55. google scholar
40. Thomasson 1984 B.E. Thomasson, Laterculi Praesidium. Göteborg 1984. google scholar
41. Tsatsopoulou 2015 Π. Τσατσοπούλου-Καλούδη, Εγνατία οδός: Ιστορία και διαδρομή στο χώρο της Θράκης. Αθήνα 2015. google scholar
42. Tsouris 1995 Κ. Τσουρής, «Νέα ευρήματα από το Διδυμότειχο», ΑΑΑ 22 (1989)[1995] 89-109. google scholar
43. Tsouris 2015 Κ. Τσουρής, Η οχύρωση του Διδυμοτείχου. Καβάλα 2015. google scholar
44. IThrAeg Λουΐζα Λουκοπούλου, Ἀντιγόνη Ζουρνατζῆ, Μαρία-Γαβριέλλα Παρισάκη, Σελήνη Ψωμᾶ, Ἐπιγραφὲς τῆς Θράκης τοῦ Αἰγαίου μεταξὺ τῶν ποταμῶν Νέστου καὶ Ἕβρου (Νομοὶ Ξάνθης, Ροδόπης καὶ Ἕβρου). Ἀθῆναι 2005. google scholar
45. Tsoka 2015 Τσόκα Α. Επιτύμβια στήλη μονομάχου από την Πλωτινόπολη (Διδυμότειχο). Tekmeria 12 (2013-2014), 81–98. google scholar
46. CN Corpus Nummorum online, Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Berlin Münzkabinett google scholar
47. https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/coins.php google scholar
48. RPC online Roman Provincial Coinage online database, University of Oxford google scholar
49. https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/ google scholar