The Bronze Coins of Eastern Mount Ossa in the Thessalian Perioikic Region of Magnesia

This monograph examines the Late Classical and Hellenistic bronze coinages of five mints in the Thessalian perioikic region of Magnesia. At the core of this work lies a new die-study of the coins produced by the strategically and economically important coastal cities of Homolion and Meliboia as well as the lesser-known mints of Eureai, Eurymenai, and Rhizous. Combining this die-study with a close examination of the cities’ topographical context in a border region between Thessaly and Macedon and drawing on archaeological data from Magnesia and beyond, the monograph addresses key questions concerning the chronology, denominations, and circulation patterns of the bronze issues minted on eastern Mount Ossa. This analysis not only throws new light on coin production in Late Classical and Hellenistic Magnesia, but also allows a discussion of the possible military and non-military functions of the region’s different bronze issues.

Placing the coins of Eureai, Eurymenai, Homolion, Meliboia, and Rhizous in their wider context, this monograph furthermore addresses broader issues in the history of Thessalian coinage. In particular, the monograph’s regional approach offers an unusual opportunity to examine to what extent Thessaly’s Late Classical and Hellenistic civic coins were genuinely local in design, production, and function. The monograph thus both explores the coins of Mount Ossa and contributes towards a better understanding of the introduction and development of bronze coinages in the wider Thessalian region and beyond.