Book Description

This monograph presents the first comprehensive study of 1,759 silver and bronze coins minted by the kings of Idalion (161 coins) and Kition (1,598 coins) in Cyprus, spanning from the late 6th to the late 4th century BC. The largest corpus of these coins yet assembled – classified through a die study – is accompanied by a full metrological and typological analysis of all denominations issued under each king. A synthetic study follows, addressing weight variations, production volume, iconography, hoard evidence, overstrikes, and countermarks.

The historical chapters contextualise the numismatic material in relation to ancient texts, inscriptions, and archaeological data, examining the numismatic policies of the kings from Persian to Macedonian control, culminating to the dissolution of the kingdom of Kition (and Idalion) by Ptolemy in 313/2 BC. They explore the origins of coinage, dynastic successions, key 5th-century episodes – including a first unsuccessful attack and then the conquest of Idalion by Ozibaal – the 4th-century acquisition and loss of Tamassos by Pumayyaton, and Kition’s rivalry with Salamis.

Six appendices enrich the study: additions to the gold coin corpus (ΜΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 64), discussions of disputed coins, a study of weight standards, revised dynastic chronologies, and an analysis of Phoenician coin legends by Stevens Bernardin.

The volume includes 117 figures, 20 tables, 3 maps, 198 facsimiles of Phoenician coin legends, and 88 plates, illustrating all 1,759 coins in the corpus.