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REVUE BELGE DE NUMISMATIQUE ET DE SIGILLOGRAPHIE BELGISCH TIJDSCHRIFT VOOR NIJMISMATIEK EN ZEGELKUNDE PUBLIÉE SOUS LE HAUT PATRONAGE DE S. M. LE ROI PAR LA SOCIÉTÉ ROYALE DE NUMISMATIQUE DE BELGIQUE AVEC L'AlDE DE LA DIRECTION GÉNÉRALE DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT, DE LA FORMATION ET DE LA RECHERCHE DU MINISTÈRE DE LA COMMUNAUTÉ FRANÇAISE ET DU MINIS'fERIE VAN DE VLAAMSE GEMEENSCHAP UITGEGEVEN ONDER DE HOGE BESCHERMING VAN Z. M. DE KONING DOOR HET KON INKLIJK BELG ISCH GENOOTSCHAP VOOR NUMISMATIEK MET DE FINANCIËLE STEUN VAN HET MINISTERIE VAN DE VLAAMSE GEMEENSCHAP EN VAN DE DIRECTION GÊNrmALE DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT, DE LA FORMATION ET DE LA RECHERCHE DU MINISTÈRE DE LA COMMUNAUTÉ FRANÇAISE DIRECTEURS: TONY HACKENS, Luc SMûLDEREN, RAF VAN LAERE, FRANÇOIS DE CALLATA CXLI -1995 BRUXELLES BRUSSEL
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REVUE BELGE
DE
NUMISMATIQUEET DE SIGILLOGRAPHIE
BELGISCH TIJDSCHRIFT
VOOR NIJMISMATIEK EN ZEGELKUNDE
PUBLIÉE
SOUS LE HAUT PATRONAGEDE S. M. LE ROI
PAR LA
SOCIÉTÉ ROYALEDE NUMISMATIQUE DE BELGIQUE
AVEC L'AlDE DE LA DIRECTION GÉNÉRALE DE
L'ENSEIGNEMENT, DE LA FORMATION ET DE
LA RECHERCHE DU MINISTÈRE DE LA
COMMUNAUTÉ FRANÇAISE ET DU
MINIS'fERIE
VAN DE VLAAMSE GEMEENSCHAP
UITGEGEVEN
ONDER DE HOGE BESCHERMINGVAN Z. M. DE KONING
DOOR HET
KON INKLIJK BELG ISCHGENOOTSCHAP VOOR NUMISMATIEK
MET DE FINANCIËLE STEUN VAN HET
MINISTERIE VAN DE VLAAMSE GEMEENSCHAP
EN VAN DE DIRECTION GÊNrmALE DE
L'ENSEIGNEMENT, DE LA FORMATION ET
DE LA RECHERCHE DU MINISTÈRE
DE LA COMMUNAUTÉ FRANÇAISE
DIRECTEURS:
TONY HACKENS, Luc SMûLDEREN,RAF VAN LAERE, FRANÇOIS DE CALLATA~
CXLI -1995
BRUXELLES BRUSSEL
FRANÇOIS DE CALLATA Y" and ILIA PROKOPOV
THE BüLJARINü HüARD(IGeR 975 - NEAR PLOVDIV)
(Pl. I-II 1)
The Boljarino hoard was found on the 28th of May 1963 in a placecalled {l Stariya dium » ({l the old way »), located 1,2 km North of thevillage of Boljarino in the district of Plovdiv. It is now the propertyof the Archaeological Museum of Plovdiv where it is kept under theinventory numbers 2273-2295 and 2313-2319.
It had been buried in a ceramic vessel, part of which is preservedwith the coins C). Among the 30 silver coins of its content, we maydistinguish 3 Athenian tetradrachms of the so-called {I New Style 1), 1late posthumous Alexander of Mesembria, 1 late Hellenistic tétradrachm of Maroneia, 3 tetradrachms of Thasian type, 15 barbarizedimitations of Thasian tetradrachms and 7 Roman denarii (").
1. Catalogue
AthensOhv.: Head of Athena Parthenos r., wearing triple-crested Athe
nian helmet, ornarnented with Pegasos and foreparts ofhorses.
Rev. : Owl standing r., head facing, on prostrate arnphora. In thefield: names of magistrates. On the amphora and in theexergue: letters. AlI within olive-wreath.
(1) K KOLEV, Coin Hoarâs {rom the Last Year, in Archeologia, 6, 1968, p. 160.The Boljarino hoard is published together with other hoards by I. PROKOPOV,
The Coin Circulation in Thracia during 11-1 c. RC (Starini, 1), Sofia, 1995 (forthcorning). We are most grateful to Dr K. Kisyov, director of the PlovdivArchaeological Museum, who kindly allowed us ta study and to publish thishoard.
(2) The content given by T. GERASSIMOV (BIAB, 27, 1964, p. 241) and repeated by the IGCH (M. THOMPSON, O. M0RKHOLM and C. M. KRAAY, An InvenloryofGreek Coin Hoards, New York, 1973, p. 125, n" 975) was 13 tetradrachms: 1Mesembria, 1 Maroneia, 1 Thasos, 1 Thasian imitation, 2 Athens, 7 denarii,Thus, 2 tetradrachms of Thasos, 14 Thasian imitations and 1 tetradrachm ofAthens were missing.
6 F. DE CALLATAY - I. PROKOPOV
EnlrENH-IDIAN.àPOI (c. 126/5 Be) CS)1. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2286 (16.23 g - 28/290)
Field 1.: EY - MH. Amphora: r. Exergue: AIM. THOMPSON, p. 176, pl. 45, n° 447a (4)
2. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2287 (16.37 g - 28/290)Field 1.: EY - MH. Amphora: r. Exergue: AIM. THOMPSON, p. 176, pl. 45, n° 447? (same obverse die as n° 1[447], reverse unknown)
3. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2319 (15.91 g - 280)Field 1.: AEINOK. Amphora: A. Exergue: nnM. THOMPSON, p. 176, pl. 45, reverse die of n° 448a (obverseunknown).
MesembriaObv. : Head of young Heracles r., clad in lion's skin.Rev. : BAIIAH21 - AAE:AN.àPOY. Zeus seated 1. on backless
throne, his r. leg drawn back, holding an eagle in the r. andhis sceptre in the 1. Field 1.: MA. Beneath throne: Ko.
4. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2288 (16.41 g - 32/330)F. DE CALLATAY, Les derniers alexandres posthumes frappés àOdessos et Mèsembria, in Studies on Settlement Lire in AncientThrace. Proceedinqs of the IIIrd International Symposium« Cabyle », 17-21 May 1993, Jambol, Jambol, 1994, p. 323, 02R2b (this specimen)I. KARAYOTOV, The Coinage of M esambria. Vol. I: Silver andGold Coins or M esambria, Sozopol, 1994, p. 95 and pl. XX IV,n° 348, ü49-R16û (this specimen).
MaroneiaObv. : Head of young Dionysos r., wreathed with ivy and with
band across forehead.Rev.: .àIONY~OY - mTHPOI - MAPQNITQN. Dionysos, naked,
standing 1., holding grapes in his r. and two narthex wandsin his 1. Monograms in 1. and r. inner fields.
5. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2285 (16.25 g - 28/290)E. SCHÔNERT-GEISS, Die Münzpriigung von Maroneia, Berlin,1987, p. 192 and pl. 51, n° 1138/3 = ü48-R147 (this specimen).
(3) The dating of c. 158/7 proposed by M. THOMPSON for this issue (The NewStyle Silver Goinage <J{ Aihens, New York, 1961) must he lowered by c. 32 years(see O. M0RKHOLM, The Ghronology of the New Style Goinage of Albens, inANSMN, 29, 1984, p.29-42).
(4) Different lines and motives can he seen in the left field behind the helmet.They are not remains of an overstrike. They belong to the die since all the coinsstruck with this die present the same pattern.
THE BOLJARINO HOARD 7
Thasos (Early imitations)ûbv.: Head of young Dionysos r., wreathed with ivy and with
band across forehead.
Rev.: HPAKAEOY~ - mTHPOI • eA~IQN. Heracles, naked,
standing 1., holding a club in the r., lion's skin over l. arm.
Monogram M in field to l.
6. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2318 (16.49 g - 28{300)I. PROKOPOV, Class GGI (see L PROKOPOV and T. KOVACHEVA,Tetradrachms o( Thasian Type in the Fund of the Pleven Hisiorical Museum, in Bulletin o( the Kjustendil Historical Museum,1, 1989, p.307-322 (in Bulgarian - English summary) or I.PROKOPOV, Notes about the Character of Some Larqe-Scale Coinages in the Thrace during l lrul-Ist Centuries B.C., in Proceedings of the XIth International Numismatic Conqress, I, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1993, p. 173-85).
7. Plovdiv, Inv. n D 2274 (16.18 g - 300)1. PROKOPOV, Class HH7 (see Popina Hoard, na 324).
8. Plovdiv, Inv. na 2273 (15.92 g - 30{310)1. PROKOPOV, Class CA.
Thasos (Lata imitations)Ditto but in a more and more barbarized fashion. For the manypeculiarities of each specimen, we refer to the plates.
9. Plovdiv, Inv. n- 2276 (16.35 g - 29{310)R. GOBL, Class I, cfr pl. 46 (Ostkeltischer Typenatlas, Braunschweig, 1973)
10. Plovdiv, Inv. na 2275 (16.10 g - 310)R. GOBL, Class III, cfr pl. 46, n° 5
11. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2315 (16.86 g - 33{370)R. GOBL, Class III, pl. 46-47 (see also 1. MlRNIK, A ThracianSiluer Coin Hoard in the Osijek Slaoonian Museum, in NC, 153,1993, n° 29)
12. Plovdiv, lnv. na 2316 (16.18 g - 320)R., GOBL, Class III{A, cf pl. 47, n° 3
13. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2278 (16.38 g - 35{370)R. GOBL, Class 1IlIA, cfr pl. 47, n° 4
14. Plovdiv, Inv, n° 2279 (16.42 g - 330)R. GOBL, Class III{A, cfr pl. 47, n° 4
15. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2281 (16.20 g - 29/300)R. GOBL, Class IV, cfr pl. 47, n° 2 - Overstruck over Athens
16. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2282 (16.15 g - 290)R. GOBL, Class IV. cfr pl. 48, n° 7
17. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2277 (16.12g - 33{350)R. GOBL, Class V, cfr pl. 48, n° 1 (see also 1. MIRNIK, n° 30)
18. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2313 (16.20 g - 340)R. GOBL, Class V, cfr pl. 48, n° 6
8 F. DE CAL LATAY - 1. PROKOPOV
19. Plovdiv, Inv. na 2284 (16.27 g - 34/350)R. GÔBL, Class V, cfr pl. 49, na 13
20. Plovdiv, Inv. na 2280 (16.16 g - 28/300)R. GÔBL, Class V, cfr pl. 49, n'' 15
21. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2283 (16.55 g - 320)R. GÔBL, Class V, pl. 49, na 20 (same obverse die)
22. Plovdiv, Inv. na 2317 (16.35 g - 320) - Head to l.R. GOBL, Class V/B, cfr pl. 50 (see also SNG Ashmolean,na 3713)
23. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2314 (16.04 g - 320) - AmphoraR. GOBL, Class VI, cfr pl. 51, na 2 (see also SNG Ashmolean,n" 3714).
Roman Denarü
For classifications and datings, we refer to M. CRAWFORD, RomanRepublican Coinage, Cambridge, 1974 (= RRC)
24. Plovdiv, Inv. n'' 2289 (3.99 g - 17/180)Obv. : Head of Roma r.] Rev. : Victory in biga r., holding reinsin both hands. In exergue: D.SILANVS L.F - ROMARRC 337/3 - c. 91 BC
25. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2294 (3.23 g - 160)Obv.: Head of Saturn 1. To r.: harpa. Below: [EX.S.C.VRev.: Venus in biga r., holding sceptre and reins in l. hand andreins in r. hand. Above: flying Cupid with wreath. In exergue: L.C.MEMMIES.L.[F] - GALRRC 349 - c. 87 BC
26. Plovdiv, Inv. n" 2290 (3.87 g - 16/170)Obv. : Helmeted bust draped r.] Rev. : Cybele in biga of lionsr., holding reins in l. hand and patera in r. hand. In exergue:M.VOLTEI.M.F. Above: OHRRC 385/4 - c. 78 BC
27. Plovdiv, Inv. n" 2291 (3.84 g - 17/190)Obv. : Bust of Cupid r., with bow and quiver over shoulder.Ta 1.: IMAXS]VMVS/ Rev.: Distyle temple. Within: twofigures. Above: thunderbolt and pileus. In exergue:e.EGNATIVS.[CN.F] - CN.NRRC 391/2 - c. 75 BC
28. Plovdiv, Inv. na 2293 (3.97 g - 17/190)Obv.: Head of Ancus Martius r. Ta 1.: lituus and ANCVS /Rev.: Aqueduct, on which stands equestrian statue. Athorsc's feet: flower. Whithin arches of aqueduct : AQVAMR.To l.: PH ILIPPVSRRC 425 - c. 56 Be
29. Plovdiv, Inv, na 2292 (3.89 g - 19/200)Obv.: Head of Genius Populi Romani r., with sceptre overshoulder/ Rev.: Eagle on thunderbolt r. To 1. : lituus. To r. :jug. In exergue: Q.CASSIVS.
THE BOLJARINO HOARD 9
RRC 428/3 - c. 55 Be30. Plovdiv, Inv. n° 2295 (3.87 g - 180)
Obv.: Head of A. Postumius r. To 1.: A.POSTVMIVS.eOSjRev. : Wreath of grain stalks. In center: ALBINV - BRVTI.FRRC 450j3b - c. 48 Be.
2. Comments
The Boljarino hoard îs one of the very interesting mixed hoardswhich was recovered in Southern Bulgaria. Especially important isthe combined presence of Roman Republican denarîi, which can bedated with rather good accuracy, with late imitations of Thasiantetradrachms. Hoards similar to this one exist in Bulgaria but arenot too many : Belitsa (IGCR 976), Topolovo C), K. Marinovo (6) orD. Botevo (1). They were buried in the second third of the lst c. BC.for which our information is not as abundant as for the first third ofthe same century (c. 100-60 Be).
In this area, namely South-Western Bulgaria, Thracian hoardsburied between c. 100-60 Be mainly contain huge numbers of earlyThasian imitations along with Athenian tetradrachms, not to speakof smaller numbers of tetradrachms in the name of Aesillas, originalissues struck in Maroneia or Thasos, or late posthumous Lysimachifrom Byzantium (the late Alexanders from Odessus and Mesembriaare more typical of the Eastern part of Bulgaria).
The Boljarino hoard belongs to a later hoarding-phase (c.6030 Be). Typical of this phase are the Roman denarii and the late(< barbarie » Thasian imitations. Our information is rather seanty forthis period. It is unfortunate that the Belitsa hoard (IGCH 976) hasnot yet received the comprehensive publication it deserves with its112 coins now in Sofia (36 Roman denarii, 28 Thasian tetradrachms,27 Athenian tetradrachms, 12 coins from Dyrrachium, 7 Aesillas
(5) E. ZLATAREVA, Roman Republican Coins from a Hoard near Topolooo, Distriel of Plooanuski, in Arcbeoloqia, 5, 1963. p.161-179.
(6) ID., A Hourd of Roman Republican Coins al Kolyo Marinooo, in Archeologia, 3, 1961, p. 367-375. See a150 1. PROKOPOV, On the Kolyo Mariooo Coin Boardaqain, Sofia, 1995 (forthcoming).
(7) Discovered in the Haskovo region, it consists of 12 silver coins: 10 imitations of Thasian tetradrachms, 1 core of a tetradrachm and 1 Roman denarius(brockage).
10 F. DE CALLATAY - I. PROKOPOV
and 2 cistophori). Other hoards discovered in Bulgaria appear to heof little use. Yet the IGeR quotes hoards from Nova Maxala(IGeR 977), Karavelovo (IGCR 978) and Korten (IGCR 979) (8). I.Mirnik has recently published a small hoard coming most probablyfrom Bulgaria (see catalogue, n° 11). A new hoard was found inMalak Chardak, in the district of Plovdiv, which contains about 600coins, i.e. 598 Roman denarii for only 1 Athenian tetradrachm (EîllrENH/ID:IANAP01:/KALLlKPA) and 1 late imitation of Thasos (R.GOBL, Class V) (9). For this period (c. 60-30 Be) and this kind ofevidence (Roman denarii and late Thasian imitations), Romaniaoffers a greater number of hoards ('0).
On the specifie issues of the Boljarino hoard, we can make thefollowing comments:
Athens
Ali 3 tetradrachrns belong to the sarne issue (EnlrENHID:IANAPOl: - c. 126/5 B.C.). It is no surprise if this issue is one ofthe four which are systematically over-represented in Macedonian ofThracian hoards ('1). This piece of evidence confirms the case.Maybe it is worthwhile to note, although this point is doubtful, thatthe 3 coins were struck during the third and the fourth months ofthe Athenian calendar (F and A), thus is a very short period of time.
There is, at least, one other Athenian tetradrachm in this hoard.The nr 15 of the catalogue, a late Thasian imitation (R. GOBL, ClassIV), is indeed clearly overstruck over Athens. On the reverse, wecan see different letters as weIl as sorne parts of the owl (the dot forthe left eye). There is enough, in fact, to identify the precise issue
(8) M. THOMPSON, O. M0RKHOLM and C. M. KRAAY, op. cil., 1973.(9) This hoard, still unpublished, is kept in the Archaeological Museum of
Plovdiv (nrs 5769-5770).(10) See, for example, Gh. POENARU BORDEA and M. COJOCARESCU, Contribuii
la circulaiia monetara din centrul Transiluaniei in secolul 1 i.e.n.: iezaurul monelarâescoperit La Icland (com. Ernei, judo Mures), in SCN, 8, 1984, p. 53-75 (with 33denarii and 2 late Thasian imitations) or the maps puhlished by C. PREDA, EinigeBetrachtungen über den MünzumLau( im 1. J. v. Chr. in Dakien, in Proceedings ofthe X1th Inlernational Numistnaiic Congress, l, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1993,p. 133-137.
(11) F. DE CALLATAY, Athenian New Style Telradrachms in MacedonianHoards, in AJN, 3-4, 1991-1992, p. 11-20.
THE BOLJARINO HOARD 11
involved: MIKI.QN-EYPYKLE (156/5 BC (M. THOMPSON] = c. 124/3BC) ( 2
) . The underlined letters are still visible:
A SEMIK ION
.SYP YKAEBOY
KATIHI
Once again, this issue MIK10N-EYPYKAE is one of the few overrepresented in Thracian hoards.
Mesembria
This late Alexander of Mesembria (issue MA-Ko) is dated shortlybefore 150 Be by both 1. Karayotov (1994, p. 125) and F. de Callatay (1994, p.306). This dating is mainly founded on the presenceof one Mesembrian Alexander with MA in the Babylon Hoard(IGeR 1774), now kept in Berlin Münzkabinett. Due to the Seleucid tetradrachms and other well-dated coinages, this hoard cansafely be dated from c. 155-150 BC. Had this piece of evidence notexisted, a later date, closer to 120 Be, would have appeared as verysuitable.
Maroneia
F. de Callatay has shown that the chronology proposed by E.Schônert-Geiss for Maroneia was very erroneous ( 3
) . Since theMaroneian tetradrachm attested in the Boljarino hoard is classifiedafter the overstrike over a tetradrachm of Mithridates VI struckmost probably in 85 BC, one is led to infer that the Boljarino hoardmay hardly have been issued before the beginning of the 70s BC.
(12) M. Thompson, 1961, p. 187-193. The obverse dies ms 479-482 are linkedwith BOYKATTH1: (see pl. 48). The overstrike was most probably struck with thereverse nr 482a.
(13) F. DE CALLATAY, Un lélradrachme de Mithridate sur{rappé à Moronée, inNumismalica e aniichiià classiche, XX, 1991, p.213-226.
12 F. DE CAL LATAY - I. PROKOPOV
Thasos (early iznitations)
1. Prokopov, who is preparing a major work about this coinage,dates the 3 tetradrachms 90-70 Be. They belong to his varieties GG(nr 6), HH (nr 7) and CA (nr 8).
Thasas (late imitations)
The late Thasian imitations are not so well-classified. It is hopedthat further research will improve our knowledge in this area (14).As may be seen, nr 15 is overstruck over Athens. A closer examination of the material indicates that other coins were probably overstruck too (nrs 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18 and 21). Nr 19 is in the samecase. It was struck on an insufficiently heated coin and this is whyit is cracked and even broken.
Roman denarii
Roman denarii attested in the Boljarino hoard were struck fromc. 91 BC to c. 48 Be. Sorne of them, as nrs 25 (c. 87 BC) and 27 (c.75 BC), are conspicuously worn out. Even the latest issue (nr 30:Crawford 450/3b = ALB INVS BRVTI F.) shows sorne traces ofwear.
This last faet, combined with the presence of many late Thasianimitations, prompts us to date the burying of the Boljarino hoard c.40/30 Be.
(14) Except the quoted book of R. GÔBL, the classical tools of reference areGraf DESSEWFFY Miklos, Barbar Penzei, Budapest, 1910; R. FORRER, KeliischeNumismalik der Rhein- und Donaulande, rev. ed. by K. Castelin, Graz, 1968-1969and K. CASTELIN. Keliische Mûnzen, Katalog der Sammlung des SduueizerischenLandesmuseum Zürich , Zurich, 1981.
