1(2013): 28-42

Type Parlant Coins of the

Cities of Asia Minor in the
Archaic and Classical Periods

Hatice Tugba Akdogar

and Mehmet Tezcan

Abstract
Coins are an important resource for mark studies. Ancient coins often bear mint marks,
monograms, tamgas or schematized iconographic elements that can be associated with a
particular polis. In the field of numismatics these coins have been called types parlants
or speaking type because they bear a distinct emblem associated with a place. In a
broadly historical context we explore the meaning of the nonlinguistic figurative ele-
ments or heraldry on the coins of some cities of Anatolia in the archaic and classical
periods. Our findings are based on extensive research, using coin catalogues in order
to determine whether the emblems on these coins reflect any known characteristics of
the places they signify. Based on additional evidence provided by surviving Greek texts
it is possible to show with certainty that some of the symbols struck on coins of this
type can be related to specific places, based on the features or characteristics for which
those places were known. Examples include Side (pomegranate), Phokaia (the Medi-
terranean monk seal of the family Phocidae), and Astakos (lobster). Coins of the types
parlants are therefore of great interest for the light they shed on the historical inter-
section of linguistic and nonlinguistic signification elements in the indication of iden-
tity and place not least because multivalent marks of this kind, appearing on cur-
rency, could be recognized with consistency across linguistic and cultural borders.
Key words
Polis, types parlants, Wappenmnzen, monogram, numismatics, symbol, Greek.

Introduction
Anatolia is the Asian part of Turkey. It comprises ninety-three percent of
Turkeys terrestrial area. The ancient Romans referred to the region as Asia
Minor, a designation still in use today. The world Anatolia comes from Greek
, meaning a rising and by extension sunrise and East.

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Anatolia has hosted many migrations over the course of the centuries,
and many of these movements of peoples led to the establishment of impor-
tant kingdoms or states that passed into the historical record. The Hellenes
are notable among these migrations. They entered Anatolia from the Aegean
coasts and passed through Lycia to Pamphylia and Cilicia, penetrating these
southern regions after the Trojan War, and went on to spread across the
Mediterranean where many different tribes had already established settle-
ments (Freely, 2011: 42). During the period of the arrival of the Greeks, Asia
Minor had long been a home to various local peoples with different cultures,
coming from different backgrounds and not having close relations with Helle-
nistic culture until the 8th and the 7th centuries BCE. Hellenisation of Asia
Minor actually began in earnest during the periods of Alexander of Macedonia
and his successors (zlem-Aytalar, 2009: 287). It is not true to say that the
arrival of Roman sovereignty suddenly led to uniform political or cultural
circumstances. Rome did successfully establish a powerful political associa-
tionparticularly through its road and communication networks, systematic
organisation, imperial cult, language, and literature, which in the course of
time covered the whole of Asia Minor (zlem-Aytalar, 2009: 291). How-
ever, despite all the foregoing, Asia Minor of the Roman Period was a region
wherein the Greek language was spoken in all cities, regardless of whether
they were of Greek origin or not, and the Hellenistic culture became domi-
nant (zlem-Aytalar, 2009: 295). In short, the dominant culture of Roman
Asia Minor was, without question, Greek culture.
The subject of our study is coins and the depictions appearing on them.
We can assert that coins were considered a means of executing financial
transactions such as compensation for expenses, payment of wages and col-
lection of income in both Hellenistic and Roman cities and kingdoms; and,
accordingly, the minting of coins was related to financial requirements (Car-
radice and Price, 2001: 53). The first coins were minted in the west of Asia
Minor shortly before 600 BCE, and roughly during this period the Aegean
coasts and islands were settled by the Hellenes.
Throughout the 300 years following the invention of the coin, its use
spread throughout the region, extending as far as the areas which today are
in southern Russia, in the north, to Egypt in the south, to Persia in the east
and to the Iberian Peninsula through the Mediterranean coasts in the west. A
variety of coins of different styles, which spread across the Mediterranean
world and beyond, have been designated as Hellenistic Coins because de-
pictions on these coins, as well as techniques used to mint them, were under
the influence of Hellenistic culture (Carradice and Price, 2001: 14). Rome, on
the other hand, started to mint its first coins during early 3rd century BCE
(Tekin, 2009a: 270). The coins minted under Roman authority in different

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regions of the empire during the 800-year period between the 3rd century BCE
and the 5th century CE have been called Byzantine coins, not Roman coins,
due to changes in minting style in terms of depiction (Tekin, 2009a: 274).
The depictions on these ancient coins are a rich research source for ar-
chaeologists and numismatists. The historical and economic requirements of
a state set the stage for the existence of certain types of coins, and thus coin
depictions (types) are selected consciously. These types on coins referred to
the kingdom, state or region that produced them, or they were identified
with a particular city. Sometimes, the types were considered as a coat of
arms of a city. In specialist numismatic literature, such coin types are called
types parlants (speaking types in the sense that the images somehow bring
to mind the name of a place) or Wappenmnzen (heraldic coins).
In short, one reason why all the coins and their depictions, dating back
through history, are so attractive today lies, to a great extent, in the fact that
they directly establish a connection with people living in the past. Moreover,
they play an important role in helping us to recognize the characteristics of
regional cities, kingdoms and empiresand can even assist us in making
determinations relating to these characteristics.

Terminology, Chronology and Geographical Borders of the Study

Types parlants and Wappenmnzen
The depiction on a coin is called type, a word derived from Greek word
(typos), meaning the effect or pressure created by mintage (Car-
radice and Price, 2001: 20). The word type means a symbolic figure on a
medallion or coin in French (Dictionnaire Langue Franaise, 1874, IV /
2383); and the word parlant means speaking person or speaking portrait
(Dictionnaire Langue Franaise, 1874, III / 954; Berkhofer III et al 2005,
100). Accordingly, the term types parlants refers to a concept used in nu-
mismatics and means speaking coin. The types and symbols on coins,
which are a rich research resource for numismatists and archaeologists,
sometimes reflect characteristics of the city minting these coins. They illus-
trate its name, and sometimes restate the same meaning using writing, as is
the case in the examples from Rhodes and Side that we will consider. Some
Greek coin types depict objects such as a rose, apple, pomegranate, bee, or
seal, etc.; they are depicted on coins minted in cities with the same name
(Newberry 1908: 11; Ridgeway and Wace, 2012: 471). Rhodes ( = ro-
dos/rodon) means rose in Greek. In the Hellenistic period, on the reverse
of coins from Rhodes, we can see that some coins bear rose motifs. Likewise,
Side () means pomegranate in Greek, and pomegranate motifs were
minted on the reverse of the coins of the city of Side, famous for its pome-

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granates, and especially coins of the Classical Era.1 In the field of numismat-
ics, in the event that the name of a type appearing on coins is the same
asor similar tothe name of the city minting them, such coins are called
types parlants (Baldwin, 1908: 204; Lacroix, 1950: 5, 10; Tekin, 2009b: 16).2
A speaking type is also defined as a device on a medal or coin that has a
punning reference to a person or thing (Random House 2009). In some
works, it is seen that except for types parlants in French (figured speech
in English), such kind of coins are also expressed as canting-device, cant-
ing badge, canting types or punning types in English, and as redende
Zeichen in German (Hill, 1899: 176-177; Newberry, 1908: 11; Lacroix, 1950:
5; Shell, 1978: 68; Skinner, 2012: 135, dn. 115).3
In the field of numismatics, there are also coin types referred to as
Wappenmnzen, a German term (in other words, coins with coat of arms);
such term is generally used for coins which were started to be minted in 550-
525 BCE in Athens, one of the first city-states minting silver coins in Greece
and involved types such as amphora, Gorgon head, triskeles, wheel, etc. on
their obverse (Schrtter, 1930: 734; Tekin, 2009b: 17). According to a theory,
these coins were called coins with coat of arms due to the fact that each of
such types was the coat of arms of persons who were responsible for the
minting of each coin. In this context, coin groups of Anatolian cities, and
some Aegean islands, which are included in our study, are considered within
the group of types parlants; on the other hand, the coins in Greek colonies,
except for Greece/Hellas and Anatolia, are considered within the Wappen-
mnzen group. This was done because there is a basic difference between
Anatolian cities and Continental Greece as regards culture.
Chronological Period
Although speaking type coins have been restricted to coins in archaic and
classical periods of Anatolia, studies conducted determined that speaking type
coins were minted in Hellenistic and Roman-Byzantine periods as well. In
Anatolia, the cities where types parlants samples from the Archaic Period to
the Roman-Byzantine Period are attested are Phokaia, Side, Trapezus, Kelen-

1 In this matter, see for a list of ancient Greek cities, including Anatolian ones, and

some motifs on them (Canting Puns) (Sayles, 2007: 129).

2 For detailed information, see Gardner (1883: 45); Hill (1899: 176); MacDonald
(1905: 17); Tekin (2008: 133).
3 For detailed information, see Gardner (1883: 45); Hill (1899: 176); MacDonald
(1905: 17, 39, 92); Head (1906: xxx). In addition, in these resources, there is a
viewpoint asserting that these types on coinage are occasionally related with the god or
goddess cults of that region or city (for instance Zeus and Hera).

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deris, Phaselis, Rhodes, Proconnesos, Astakos (Nikomedia) and Ankyra, re-

spectively. Types on coins and dates, when they were used, are as follows:
- Archaic Period (600-478 BCE) Ionia Region - Phokaia (obv.: seal).
- Classical Period (350-330s BCE) Pamphylia Region - Side (both obv.
and rev.: pomegranate); Pontos Region - Trapezus (rev.: table); Cili-
cia Region - Kelenderis (rev.: goat); Lycia Region - Phaselis (both
obv. and rev.: prow or a galley); Mysia - Proconnesos (sometimes
with a wine pot on the back side: gazelle)
- Hellenistic Period (250-100 BCE) (Cilicia Region - Kelenderis (rev.:
goat); Lykia Region - Phaselis (both obv. and rev.: prow or a galley);
Caria Region - Rhodes (rev.: rose).
- Roman-Byzantine Period (138-161, 161-169, 100-300 CE) Bithynia
Region - Astakos / Nikomedia (rev.: lobster); Phrygia Region - Ancy-
ra (rev.: anchor).
Geographical Borders
Among the regions minting type parlants coins in Asia Minor are Ionia,
Caria, Pamphylia, Cilicia, Bithynia, Pontos, Lykia and Phrygia. However,
sometimes borders and city names change according to historical periods.
For instance Rhodes, which was located offshore from Caria and an island
settled by Dorians, was a member of the Athens Union until the 5th century
BCE (until 412/411 BCE). Before the mid. 6th century BCE, the cities of Ka-
miros, Lindos and Ialysos started to mint coins. These three cities estab-
lished a federal capital in the northeastern end of the island in 407 BCE and
denominated it as Rhodos by referring to the name of the island, Rhodes.
Hence, as these three cities continued to develop, minting was transferred to
the capital (Rhodes) only gradually (Tekin, 2008: 100). Astakos (todays
zmit) was destroyed by Lysimachos in 281 BCE and on the area of the col-
lapsed city Nicomedes I established the city Nicomedia, settled by the people
of Astakos and mentioned with his name in 264 BCE (Head, 1911: 510).

Anatolian Cities Included in Types Parlants Group

Ionia Region: Phokaia (/phoke/seal)
Location of the city: It is todays Foa, located in the farthest northern
edge of the cities of the Ionia Region. It is the ancient city located almost 40
miles to the north of Smyrna (Izmir) (Umar, 1993: 662).
Brief History: Just as with the word Ionia, Phokaia is not actually a
word of the Hellenic languages and was probably derived from the word Pau-
waka in the Luwi Language. Besides, the region was Hellenised during the

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colonisation period, subsequently (Umar, 1993: 662; Umar, 2001: 3-4). It was
invaded by a Persian army in 540 BCE, and the majority of the people of the
city immigrated to and settled in Elea, located in Southern Italia (Tekin, 2008:
79). After it was demolished by Lydians, the city became an important ancient
metropolis, with a harbor that exported its goods overseas (Head, 1911: 587).
Starting date of coin minting: As a coastal city, Phokaia was one of the first
coastal cities that adopted the new invention of coining after Miletus (Head,
1911: 587). Electron, silver and bronze coins were minted. The type on the
obverse of electron coins, minted according to the weight system of Phokaia
during the 6th-4th centuries BC, was a seal, and on the reverse, there was a
square incus divided into four parts (Hansen and Nielsen, 2004: 1091).
Types parlants samples: The seal (, phoke) seen on coins from Phokaia
is identical with the name of city. Under the seal on the obverse is the letter
(theta) in Greek; this is the counterpart of (phi), which is the first letter of citys
name, in the language of Phokaia (Ridgeway, 1892: 322; Tekin, 2008: 79).

Phokaia (BCE 600-522) B01 - EL 1/64 Phokaia (date is unknown), electrum stater.
Caria Region: Rhodes (/rodon/rose)
Location of the city/island: Rhodes was located in the region of Caria,
close to the southwestern coast of Anatolia and composed of three separate
cities called Kamiros, Ialysos and Lindos.
Brief History: The origin of the name of the Caria region has not been de-
termined, but it is thought to have been derived from the word Karka dat-
ing back to the period between the second and first millennium BCE. In
other words, it is commonly thought that it dates back to a local community
of Anatolia. Carians had a specific language and alphabet composed of letters
taken from the Phoenician alphabet. Located offshore from Caria, the island
of Rhodes was invaded and settled by Dorians in the early first millennium
BCE. Rhodes was a member of the Athens Union until 412/411 BCE. Ap-
proximately in 408 BCE, three independent cities of Rhodes (Kamiros, Ialy-
sos and Lindos) founded a new capital in the northeastern end of the island
and denominated it as Rhodos, the same as the islands name (Umar, 1999:

4 See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=486>.

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192). As a coin type of this new capital, rodon (rose) was preferred, referring
to the name of island (Head, 1911: 638).
Starting date of coin minting: During the mid. 6th century BCE, Kamiros,
Lindos and Ialysos started to mint coins. When the new capital was estab-
lished, minting activity was transferred to Rhodes.
Types parlants samples: On the obverse of drachmas, minted according to
the weight system of Rhodes, the head of Sun God Helios was depicted in a fron-
tal view; on the reverse, there was the depiction of the rose motif, referring to the
name of island. The rose was depicted as open or closed according to the period.
(rodon) is identical with the citys name (Tekin, 2008: 100).

Rhodes (BCE 250-230) Didrachm5 Rhodes (BCE 40-CE 25) AE 36

Pamphylia Region: Side (/side/pomegranate)
Location of the city: In Turkey, there are four places with this name today. The
one related to our subject is located on the coast of the Pamphlia Region. The city,
located to the west of Manavgat, is former Adalia, which is todays Selimiye, and is
an ancient city a few miles to the west of Melas. Its people were not originally
Hellenes; the city had a specific language and writing style (Umar, 1993: 724-725).
Brief History: Strabo (Geog., XIV.4.251) states that Side was founded by
colonists coming from Kyme in Aiolis in the first half of the 5th century BCE.
Since these colonists had forgotten their original language, no Greek inscriptions
were available on coins of earlier periods (Head, 1911: 703; Umar, 1993: 725).
Starting date of coin minting: The first silver staters in Side were minted
in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. On the obverse of staters there were pome-
granate depictions; on the reverse, there were sometimes square incus depic-
tions or the head of the Goddess of War Athena or of Apollo in a square in-
cus. In silver coins of Classical Period, it is seen that the pomegranate motif
was minted on the reverse. Apart from these staters, tetrobol, triobol and
obol were also minted in Side during the 5th and 4th centuries. Side, which
continued to mint coins from the period of Roman sovereignty into the mid.
4th century CE, was a rich city; however, the city entered a period of decline
in the second half of that century (Tekin, 2008: 104-105; Tekin, 2011: 82).

5 See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=223>.

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Types parlants samples: Side is not a Hellenic word; in an ancient Ana-

tolian language, (side) means "pomegranate", which was used to sym-
bolise fertility. The name of the fruit and the name of the city are identical
(Tekin 2008, 104; Tekin 2011, 82-83).

Side (1st half 2nd c. BCE), Side (BCE 425-400) Side (BCE 100-0) AE 12
tetradrachm6 Stater7

Pontos Region: Trapezos ( trapeza/table)

Location of the city: Trapezos was a city located on the south coast of
Pontos Euxine (Black Sea), and to the east of Amisos (todays Samsun). It is
todays Trabzon.
Brief History: Trapezos was a colony of Sinope. It was founded by Hellen-
ised colonists from Sinope in the 8th century BCE. Since the land, on which
the city was founded, was on a plain, the name of the city was derived from
the word Trapezountos meaning plain (Umar, 1993: 798).
Starting date of coin minting: Coin minting started in the 4th century
BCE. On the reverse of silver coins in Persian standards, there were depic-
tions of a table, a mass of coins on it and the inscription TRA in Greek
letters denoting the name of the city. Although this mass of coins has been
interpreted as a bunch of grapes by some numismatists (Head, 1911: 499),
this is inaccurate (see Tekin, 2008: 115).
Types parlants samples: In Greek, (trapeze) means "table"8.
This signifies the name of the city.

Trapezos (BCE 350-330) Drachm9 Trapezos (ca. BCE 350-330) Drachm

6 Tekin (2011: 83).

7 See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=266>.
8 Trapeza is also interpreted as an altar (sacrificial altar) of the Greeks.
9 See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=50> and
Tekin (2008, Pl. XVIII / 134).

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Cilicia Region: Kelenderis ( kelades/goat)

Location of the city: Kelenderis is an important ancient city of Mountain-
ous Cilicia in the south coastal region of Anatolia. It is todays Aydnck.
Brief History: It is related that this settlement was founded on the shore
of Tracheia by Sandokos, father of Kinyras (Head, 1911, 718).
Starting date of coin minting: Kelenderis started to mint coins in the mid.
5th century BCE. Coins of this early period were in Persian standards. On the
reverse of silver staters, there was a goat protom crouching and turning its
head back (de Callatay, 1997: 107, Pl. XII / 3-7).
Types parlants samples: (kelades) referes to a species of goat in
Greek (here the name of city and the reverse type of coin are identical).

Kelenderis (BCE 425-400; ca. 353-330) Stater10 Kelenderis

(BCE 200-100) AE 1
Lycia Region: Phaselis (/phaselos/prow)
Location of the city: It is todays Tekirova village located in the Lycia Re-
gion, to the western side of the Gulf of Antalya and on the Antalya-Kumluca
coastal road.
Brief History: Phaselis was founded by the people of Rhodes during the
late 7th century BCE. It is probably the first colony in the Lycia region.
Founded in the 2nd millennium BCE by Phoenician colonists, the name of the
city means God forbids in colloquial language. After Hellenic peoples set-
tled there, it was thought that the name had been derived from Phaselos in
Hellenic language, meaning bean. Today, such views have changed. With
the addition of a suffix (-is) in the Hellenic language, the name of the city
was derived from Phasala, meaning maritime city (Umar, 1993: 659). It is
apparent that Dorians settled there after coming from Rhodes in 690 BCE.
After the Persian army was defeated by Athenians in 468 BCE, Phaselis
joined the Attica-Delos Sea League (Tekin, 2011: 80). Phaselis surrendered
voluntarily during the Eastern campaign of Alexander the Great. The city was
ruled by the Ptolemaios in Egypt, and then by the Seleucids. Left to the sur-

10 See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=310>;
<http://www.acsearch.info/ext-record.html?id=14362>;
<http://www.coinarchives.com/a/results.php?results=100&search=celenderis>.

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veillance of Rhodes until 188 BCE, Phaselis joined in Lycia Union in the
160s. During the reign of Emperor Claudius, it passed under the sovereignty
of the Roman Empire together with Lycia province as a whole in 43 CE. Hav-
ing a harbour the city was famous for its winds (Sevin, 2001: 147).
Starting date of coin minting: Coin minting started in the mid. 6th century
BCE and the first coins were minted according to Persian standards. Phaselis
had a history and coinage different from other cities of Lycia (Head, 1911,
696). While the main coin type was a prow in the shape of a wild boar on the
obverse in the Archaic period, this form disappeared and was replaced with a
simple prow during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. The name of city
was abbreviated as FAS or FASE in Greek letters. The stern was depicted
on the reverse. Such depictions resulted from the active port and trade rela-
tions of city (Tekin, 2008: 102; Tekin, 2011: 80).
Types parlants samples: (Phaselos) (i.e. prow or front part of
ship) on the obverse and reverse are identical with the name of the city
(Head, 1911: 696; Lacroix, 1950: 6).

Phaselis (BCE 230-190) Stater Phaselis (BCE 411-350) Stater11

Phaselis (BCE 411) Tetrobol12 Phaselis (ca. BCE 250-220) stater (Tekin, 2011; 81)

Bithynia Region: Astakos/Nikomedia (/astakos/lobster)

Location of the city: Todays zmit/Baiskele.
Brief History: Astakos, located in todays zmit Gulf, was founded by col-
onists from Megara in 435/434 BCE. According to Strabo, the city was called
Ao (Astakos), however its name then changed to Avo (Astak-

11 See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=251>.
12 See <http://www.coinarchives.com/a/results.php?search=phaselis&s=0&results=100>.

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ens). The gulf was also named thus.13 After Lysimachus (diadokhus), one of
Alexander of Macedonias commanders in Anatolia, demolished the city in 281
BCE, the Bithynian King Nicomedes I established the city Nicomedia over the
former Astakos in 264 BCE; the people of Astakos were settled there and the
city began to be mentioned by this name as it became the capitol (Umar, 1993:
127; Cohen, 1995: 401; Sevin, 2001: 36; Tekin, 2008: 118; Head, 1911: 510).
The Bithynia region became a Roman province in 74 BCE when Nicomedes III
died. When it passed into the Pontos Empire and under the rule of Mithradates
VI, its borders expanded very much and it took the name Bithynia et Pontos
province. Later, the city passed under the sovereignty of the Roman Empire
and became one of the biggest metropolises of the Empire.
Starting date of coin minting: On the obverse of silver coins, which began
to be minted as of the 5th century BCE, there were lobster depictions due to
the fact that there were plenty of lobster in the shallow waters of the gulf, and
the lobster is called astakos in Greek (Tekin, 2008: 118).
Types parlants samples: On the obverse of coins minted in Astakos a
lobster was depicted, which symbolized the city; on the reverse, there was a
womans head in a square incus. AS (in Greek letters) was at times marked
on the obverse, and sometimes on the reverse (Tekin 2008, 118).

Astakos (ca. BCE 350) stater (Head 1911, Pl. XXXIII / 10)

Phrygia: Ankyra (/ankyra/anchor)

Location of the City and Brief History: There are three places with the
name Ankyra; two in Turkey and one in Macedonia. One of the places in Tur-
key is Ankyra, which is todays capital Ankara, located in Galatia; the other is
Ankyra, which was one of the most important cities of Phrygia and probably a
minting center in the 2nd century BCE. It was also probably the most important
city of the Abbaitis region in Western Phrygia. Its exact location is on the small
hill on the western shore of Simav Lake, now dried. Sources of antiquity men-
tioned it as Ankyra Sidera in order to distinguish it from the one in Galatia.

13 For the word astakos and the city, see Koutrakis et al. (2009: 3-4).

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In the Hellenic language sidera means iron, and ankyra has a similar
meaning (anchor) (Head, 1906: 29; Head, 1911: 665; Umar, 1993: 76).
Starting date of coin minting: In Ankyra it seems that coin minting with
the name of city started after a long interval. On coins, which started to be
minted in the period of Nero, the Roman emperor, the name of city was
mentioned along with Julia. Beginning in 62-63 CE, titles of magis-
trates/proconsuls were included on coins. Coin minting continued for more
than 200 years, from the period of Nero to the period of Philip (Head 1906,
29; Head 1911, 665). In terms of coin types, there were anchor depictions on
the coins of both Ankyra in Galatia and Ankyra in Phrygia. Zeus was depicted
with an anchor and a spear in his hands (Head 1906, xxx; Head 1911, 665).
Types parlants samples: Depictions of anchors are also seen on the coins
of Ankyra in Galatia, together with the name of city.
On certain coin types of Ankyra in Phrygia, there was a depiction of Eros;
these coins are very rare. In an existing sample, Aphrodite was depicted as swim-
ming to the right with her head oriented to the left. Behind her, there is Eros
swimming to the right, also with an anchor, referring to the name Ankyra14.

Ankyra (Caracalla, CE 198-217) AE15 Ankyra (with eros and anchor)

Mysia: Proconnesus - (//deer, gazelle)

Location of the city/island and brief history: Proconnesus is an island
situated between Priapus and Cyzicus in the Sea of Marmara. In the Hellenic
language, proks means gazelle and nesos means island; ac-
cordingly it means Gazelle Island (Umar, 1993: 678).
Starting date of coin minting: In Proconnesus, silver and bronze coins
were found dating back to the period of Alexander the Great and Lysi-
machus. These coins correspond to a period beginning from 400 BCE to the
period of Lysimachus, i.e. to 283 BCE.

14 See <http://eroscoin.blogspot.com/2011/03/type-34-eros-with-aphrodite-
swimming.html>.
15 See http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=10125

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 Type-Parlant Coins [...]

Types parlants samples: On the obverse of Proconnesus coins, there were

depictions of the head of Aphrodite; on the reverse, there were generally depic-
tions of oinochoe (Greek, wine pot). However, rarely, there are coins with a
small oinochoe and stag/gazelle head on their reverse. Among samples, on a
drachma and diobol, a frontal view of a gazelle was depicted with its head
oriented to the left. On coins, occasionally the words proks (deer/gazelle)
or prokon were written in order to state the name of the island
(Head, 1887: 466; Hasluck, 1910: 31; Head, 1911: 538; Lacroix, 1950: 8-9).

Prokonnesos (ca BC 400-350) Diobol16

Conclusion
There were political, cultural and numismatic interactions among ancient
cities in Anatolia, the islands of the Aegean Sea that were closer to the shore,
and Mainland Greece/Hellas, which date back to ancient times. However, cul-
tural developments in these cities in Anatolia antedated others in the region of
Hellas, and spread regionally, influencing some islands nearby. This cultural
influence can be observed in other colonies (like Trapezus) established by Ana-
tolian cities such as Miletus. These cultural advancements spread to Hellas at
various dates and by various means; or people coming from Greece to Anatolia
for various reasons returned home with knowledge of these innovations. How-
ever, there are certain fundamental cultural differences between them. One of
these is reflected in the issue of types parlants. With these coins (minted in
Anatolia and nearby islands such as Rhodes), the inscription and the depiction
correspond. With other coins found in Hellas and nearby islands (such as Ae-
gina), or in more distant regions such as Sicily (Selinus), we see only a depic-
tionor depictions and inscriptions do not correspond in the same way.17 It has
been asserted that such depictions are special coats of arms indicating the
peoples or the cities minting the coins. These coins, in this context, are called
Wappenmnzen. The tradition of minting coins in types parlants style began in

16See <http://www.asiaminorcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=9547>.
17Some numismatists accept even such coins as types parlants with depictions but
without inscriptions (just as in Selinus), for example, see Fischer-Bossert (2011: 145).
For example, regarding the coins of Aigina and their Wappencharacter see Alfldi
(1978: 78).

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 H. T. Akdogar and M. Tezcan

Ionia (during the Greek period) and continued for a long time prior to the be-
ginning of the Common Era. Anatolia fell under the rule of Roman Empire
during the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. By the late 4th century CE Byzantine domi-
nance had begun, but Anatolia maintained similar ancient cultural traditons
during this and subsequent periods of new rulership and state organization.

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 re:marks
The Journal of Signum, Cataloging in Publication
International Society
for Mark Studies

Title Re:marks

Subtitle The Journal of Signum, International

Society for Mark Studies

Editor Signum, International Society for Mark Studies

Frequency Annual

Start date Issue 1 (December 2013) -

Language English

ISSN 2310-3795

Classification 929
411

Subjects Signs and symbols (929)

Writing systems (411)

The authors (of the articles), 2013.

Signum, International Society for Mark Studies (of this edition), 2013.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted without writ-
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Journal of Signum (ISSN 2310-3795)