Ancient Coin of the Day: Back to the Fourth Century BC today, with the coinage of Paeonia, a region to the north of Macedonia, beginning with this silver tetradrachm of Patraos, ca. 335-315 BC. #ACOTD #Paeonia

Image: ANS 1944.100.11995

Paeonia was a region over which the Macedonian kings frequently attempted to usurp their hegemony, but during the Fourth Century BC seems to have passed into the control of a group of local kings, who asserted "their belligerent anti-Macedonian policies" (Wright, 2012:2).

This dynasty also seems to have adopted a notably 'heroic' identity, in the Homeric style, with a numismatic tradition that reflects this.

The Obverse of this coin shows the laureate bust of a young man, often treated as if it were an Apollo. Indeed, coins of the earlier Paeonian king Lycceius (ca. 359-340 BC) frequently featured Apollo and Zeus on the Obverse, so Patraos' coins reflect this tradition.

The Reverse - with its faint trace of the Legend ΠΑΤΡΑΟΥ - 'Of Patraos' - is dominated by the design of an armoured horseman riding down a fallen enemy. Recent work on this design has interpreted it as a striking presentation of Paeonian hostility towards their Macedonian...

...neighbours, countering earlier interpretations that couched the scene in paying dutiful homage to Alexander the Great's exploits in Persia (see Article link at end of thread).