Interaction and problematics of the bronze coinage minted for Apollonia Pontica at the edge of the 4th towards the 3rd century BC

Abstract

The bronze issue of Apollonia Pontica depicting a seated Apollo on an omphalos has been indisputably connected for decades to the Seleucid presence in Thrace and, based on its iconography, dated to the middle of the 3rd century BC. Most of the remaining bronze issues have been placed in a vague chronological order before or after due to lack of solid evidence. Discrepancies of stylistic and stratigraphic chronology demanded a broad review of the many types often represented by only a few examples. An arrangement through die links and a review of the interactions in a denomination system may help fill the gaps in the chronology. Furthermore, all relevant characteristics of Classical and Hellenistic art shall be considered in this paper to reattribute the issues and bridge the gap between these periods. The discussion emphasizes the weight of each chronological feature that should be contemplated, since they are applied not only in numismatics but also in other small finds disciplines.