The Early Coinage of Kaunos

Staters

, 232. 1. 11.59 NFA 18 Oct. 1990,778;Malter 30 Nov. 1985,47. J. 11.61 New York, ANS 1986 14 (1984).128. e.

2. 48 NFA 18 Oct. 1990, 779;Malter 34 (1986), 43;Myers FPL Jan. 1982. 89;Rosen 621;NFA 6 (1979), 306.

f.

Period I 11.00-09-1 11.10-19 11 .20-29 11.30-39---3 11.40-49--2 11 .50-59---------9 11 .60-69---------------15 11.70-79------------12 11 .80-89----------10 11.90-99 12.00-09-1

Period 11 postulated for Aeginetan coins. These results led the authors (n. 37) to suggest that the mint fo r our coins was more probably located in Caria than at Mallos, and that it could have used Aeginetan coins for the silver for its early issues. This assumption is supported by a stater of Aegina overstruck by Kaunos (see n. 36). One suspects that a more careful and direct examination of early Kaunian coins will reveal other overstrikes on Aeginetan coins.

2.50

Knopek 15

Staters only

Obv.

As Period I but Iris no longer wears winged boots and has lost the two scrolls on the top of her head; she holds a kerykeion in her r. hand and a wreath in the I.. and runs I. (r. on 023).

Rev.

[ncuse square containing a regularly-shaped triangular or conical baetyl with on some dies two horn-like tags springing on I. and r. from its apex; the rest of the field filled with irregular corrugations.

Period V (c.410-390)

Obv. As Period IV but more ornate and vigorous style.

Rev. As Period IV but the baetyl is invariably a triangle and is flanked by the Carian letters 'V -r; type 2 includes a pellet; type 3, the letter I; type 4 has ridges on the edges and middle of the baetyl.

Summary of Issues

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

The different issues are fairly well represented as can be judged from the number of specimens recorded for each die-combination. As is often the case, fewer fractions survive than units and a good number of new dies for them will probably turn up in future. Staters of Period I and IT are not as well represented as later issues and quantities of new dies for them may well likewise remain to be discovered. By contrast, the very high ratio of specimens per die-combination for Period III onwards makes it unlikely that a significant number of dies still remains to be discovered, although some new die-combinations could appear. A peculiar feature of the die-study is the surprisingly low incidence of die-linkage between the different die-combinations. This is the more surprising given the completeness of the material for later issues. It seems that each obverse die was made to be coupled with only one reverse die, in contrast to normal striking methods whereby obverse dies were almost always used with several reverse dies. The mint clearly did not issue large numbers of coins uninterruptedly over long periods as this would certainly have involved some die-linkage. Its issues are more likely to have been sporadic and concentrated within limited periods. Several dies show heavy breaks and flaws (e.g. PI. 50, 960, 97m, 100q) suggesting periods of intense striking. CHRONOLOGY Period-divisions rely mainly on the interpretation of hoards and die-studies. Style and gradual development of a type within a series may be helpful for determining the sequence of issues, but should be used cautiously fo r they can sometimes be misleading5 The tenninus ante quem of Period I is the Asyut hoard (IGCH 1644) for which a closing date of c.470 is generally accepted 6 All Mint A coins included in the Asyut hoard belong to the earliest issues and their average degree of wear indicates that they might have circulated for one or two decades before the hoard's concealment. A further coin of Mint A Period I was contained in another Egyptian hoard found in 1885 at Naucratis (lGCH 1647). Its concealment date is not precisely established and is given as 450-430. Coins of Period II are included in IGCH 1180. which was probably buried c.460 J Unearthed up-country on the Caro-Lycian border, it consisted of 144 coins from Mint A (86 staters). Mint B (36 staters), Phaselis (one stater) and some other uncertain mints. Robinson, Archaic Coins, published and illustrated onl y a small proportion of the Mint A coins, but all are in excellent state of preservation. It seems likely, but cannot be proved, that many of the Period II coins in my catalogue came originally from IGCH 11 80. The reverse of these coins is more elaborate than that of Period 1 coins in the Asyut hoard, a further indication that they are later. The contents of a further hoard. IGCH 1181 , reportedly found somewhere between Mugla and Telmessos in 1960, are only vaguely known. It seems that it included an early coin of Mint A not known to the editors of IGCH whose date of c.460 should perhaps be revised to c.480-470 8 CH 8, 133 is a hoard from Lebanon found in 1985/86 that mostly contained Levantine imitations of Athenian tetradrachms and at least three coins of Mint A of Periods III and IV (CH 8, pI. I I, nos. 3, 4 and 5; nos. 87b. 95c and 99bis t in the present catalogue). The burial date of 340 proposed in CH 8 would be far too late for our coins, and its justification is unclear, since the chronology of Athenian imitations is uncertain. Either the burial date should be raised by some fifty years or the coins of Mint A were intrusive. Although stylistic comparisons of coins with sculptures is not always chronologically very conclusive, it is tempting to note that the winged figure in Period V has flowing and transparent drapery like that on Nereids of the Nereid monument from Xanthos in nearby Lykia, which dates from the end of the fifth century.

One striking feature of our catalogue is the high representation of certain die-combinations from Periods IV and V. For instance nos. 99 and 101 are respectively attested by 24 and 50 specimens, and neighbouring dies are almost as well represented. Most of these coins have been sold through dealers in the second half of the 1980s and in the 1990s. In 1986 the ANS acquired some 37 staters, 23 from no. 101 , and all almost certainly from a single hoard, although unfortunately no details have been recorded. Are all these coins part of CH 8, 133. or do they belong to another dispersed hoard? Whatever the answer, our catalogue probably contains over 120 coins from this e lusive hoard. The dating of Period VI is dealt with below in the 'attribution' section.

ATTRIBUTION

It has long been recognised that the Carian letters on the later staters and bronzes would eventually reveal the name of the issuing authority.9 Given the long time span, probably over a century. during which coins of Mint A were struck, these Carian letters must refer to an ethnic and not to a local dynast. 10 Their hitherto uncertain phonetic values have given rise to several tentative attributions, none S For instance. the obverse dies of some staters of Period r (nos. 3 and 7) with a crude reverse were used 10 strike contemporary drachms (nos. 17 and 18) with a fu lly-developed reverse of the griffin type. 6 Asyut 669-85. Only half of the recorded specimens are illustrated.

i Archaic Coins. p. 279. 8 Winged Carians, The letters were first described as Carian in Archaic Coins, and convincing." Carian is still a little understood language but a spectacular breakthrough in deciphering its script was initiated some fifteen years ago by the Egyptologist John Ray who made extensive use of Carian inscriptions found in Egypt. 12 His knowledge of the hieroglyphic equivalents of several words and names in Carian enabled him to put forward new and more convincing values to the Carian letters which had not been deciphered already. The past few years have seen a number of studies aimed at perfecting Ray 's system 13 and progress is still being made as new evidence continues to crop up.14 There is no need here to discuss how the letters on our coins were given the conventional values which have received common acceptance 15 On our coins, the first letter appeared on the reverse of issues of Period n. Some time later, the second letter was added, and eventually, in period V, the third, underneath the first letter. A fourth letter makes a brief appearance during Period IV when it was added to an existing reverse die in the middle of the triangle flanked by the first two letters. This fourth letter does not appear to form the continuation of the first two letters but seems to be either an issue-mark or, more probably (see below), a letter which directly refers to the triangular object.

The initial letter can be described as an upside down Greek delta: 'V (number 29 in the conventional numbering system). 16 The second and third letters are similar respectively to a Greek gamma: r (a form of number 10) and iota: I. The fourth letter is IJI (number 22) . Long thought to represent the value b or d (8), the initial letter is now transliterated in the Egyptian system as k. The second letter, formerly transliterated as I, is now regarded as b by Ray and his followers. The third letter appears only at a later stage. right at the very end of the issues (Period V, type 3), and is not attested on any other known inscription . It may be that late Carian script, as used in Mint A, adopted a Greek vowel for which a need arose at a time when Greek was becoming increasingly dominant. It seems likely that this third letter represents the sound i.17 When combined in the chronological order of their appearance on the coins, the three letters form kbi. Not long ago, Ray also suggested the same transliteration for the first two letters, kb , but was unable to propose a satisfactory attribution. 18 Unfamiliar with the numismatic evidence as a whole (see below), he assumed that kb might be the beginning of a patronymic or an ethnic that could refer to Kabalis. Kibyra or the Kibyratis. 19 Is there an ethnic in Caria beginning with kbi? In 1973. during the excavations of the Letoon near Xanthos by a French team, a trilingual inscription of the utmost importance was discovered. Written in Greek, Lycian and Aramaic, it is an official decree of the reign of the fourth satrap of Caria. Pixodaros. in which provisions are made for the establi shment of a cult from Kaunos. All three versions refer to a Carian deity: the Basileus of Kaunos.

The Lycian text gives a form that can be transcribed as Xiitawati Xbideiini. the second word being the adjectival form in Lycian for Kaunos, whose name in Lycian is thus Khbide 2 0 It is very likely that this form derives directly from the native Carian name for Kaunos. Since Kbi is the beginning of the ethnic on the coins of Mint A, it is difficult [0 resist the conclusion that they belong to Kaunos. Troxell had hinted that Kaunos, along with Kalynda, Krya or Telandria, might be Mint A but she did not have at her disposal the value of 'V. and the incorrect transliteration of f as I did not allow her to confirm any attribution. 21 Kaunos, a native Carian foundation, was a prominent trading centre and port in south-west Asia Minor.22 In his description of the region, Herodotos lists three peoples, the Carians, the Lycians and the Kaunians, who are mentioned separately on account of their peculiar customs and language which differed from Carian 2 3 Hitherto no coinage has been firmly attributed 24 to the city before the middle of the fourth century when it struck an issue of small bronzes. The lack of coinage during the archaic and classical periods was not easy to explain, and the newly attributed silver coinage thus fills a gap. Kaunos paid only half a talent to the Delian Confederacy until 425 when its tribute was suddenly raised to ten talents, more than her powerful neighbour Knidos.

The scarce series of bronze coins (117-118) which clearly accompany the silver of Mint A confirms, if confirmation is needed, the attribution to Kaunos . They have on the obverse a head of Apollo, threequarter facing r. or I.. and on the reverse a sphinx seated r. and flanked by the letters 'V_f 25 As far as I know they are the only bronze coins to bear Carian letters. My record comprises 24 specimens. of which 17 are in the Archaeological Museum of Fethiye. ancient Telmessos on the coast between Caria and Lycia. The Museum's usual catchment area is western and northwestern Lycia and south-east Caria. and most, if not all , of its 17 coins were almost certainly found or collected there 2 6 A further specimen (SNG von Alllock 8101) was reportedly bought at Mugla along with coins of Kaunos. The first bronze coins of Kaunos with Greek legends have on the obverse a forepart of or a whole bull butting r., and on the reverse. a sphinx seated r. and flanked by the letters K-A or K-NY (PI. 50,A,Band C 27). The similarity of the reverse type with that of the bronzes with 'V -f is evident, and it seems clear that the Greek legend sphinx coins succeeded the Carian legend sphinx coins. Further. a common feature of the K-NY bronzes and the staters with 'V -rtl is the location of the third letter placed just underneath a letter of the first row, a sequence which seems peculiar to Kaunos . It is worth adding that the Archaeological Museum of Fethiye possesses large numbers of the K-A and K-AfY sphinx coins of Kaunos. The facing head of Apollo on the Carian legend bronzes has been compared to the coins of Mausollos on which a similar type was introduced c.365 2 8 The chlamys fastened at the neck is not always present and some specimens just show a plain line of truncation. A useful comparison can be made between the style of the Kaunian Apollo head. in particular the heavy eyelids and straight hair lines, and that of the Helios head on the early silver fraction s of Rhodes for which a date of c.404-390 has been suggested 29 A further group of anepigraphic silver fractions (119) can also be ascribed to Kaunos. Although their type as well as their weight-standard differ from the regular fractional coinage of Period I, the seated sphinx depicted on each side is very similar to the sphinx on the bronze coins of Kaunos. It seems therefore likely that these silver fractions were also minted at Kaunos. perhaps at the same time as the first bronzes, or a little earlier. Four of the nine recorded specimens are in the Fethiye Archaeological 20 E. Laroche, ' L'inscription Iydenne'. in Foumes de Xamhos. 4. La stete rri/ingue du. U rbon (Paris. 1979 Bean . lHS 1953. pp. 10-35 andJHS 1954. 85-110. 23 Herod. 172. One may also assume that the separate listing of the Kaunians was an indication of their relative importance at the time of Herodotos. 24 A series of sil ver Slaters with a lion forepart on the obverse and two incuse rectangles on the reverse in sometimes attributed to Kaunos. Two coins of this series we re reportedly found in a tomb at Kaunos: E. Keckman,'Zwei Fundmi.lnzen aus Kaunos in Karien ' ,SM 122 ( 198 1), pp. 34-5. But an attribution to Mylasa seems more convincing : see E.S.G. Robinson, ' A Hoard of Archaic Coins from Anatolia', Ne 1961, pp. 114-15 . 25 It was Robinson in Coin-Legends, p. 2'11, G and p. 273 who tirst suggested that the bronze bel ongs with the silver. 16 lnfonnalion kindly provided by Richard Ashton. See n. 1. 11 A: London. BM 1979-1 -1-5 14;SNG van Aulock. 2563 0 .23 g;12). B: G. Hirsc:h 189 ( 1996). 252. C: London, BMC Cariu. 14. 7 (I .35 g; 12). !~ Winged Ca rians, p. 261.

Museum, and no. 119a was reportedly found near Kaunos. The use of the sphinx as a coin type is thus attested at Kaunos from an early stage. This adds some strength to Seltman 's attribution to Kaunos of a ve~ early stater depicting a sphinx on the obverse, and two square punch marks Dn the re verse (PI. 50, D ). 0 The attribution still remains tentative in view of the existence of at least three other obverse types united by similar fa bric and reverse punches, which indicate that they are from the same mint. The three other types are two dolphins, a crab and what IDoks like a crude female head,31 and thus dilute the argument for assigning the sphinx stater to Kaun Ds.

WEIGHT-STANDARD AND DENOMINATIONS

The Aeginetic standard was by far the most widely used in the southern Aegean area (the Cyclades, Crete and south-west Asia Minor) in the 6th and 5th centuries. It is generally ass umed that the weight of the Aeginetic standard, c. 12.30 g,32 remained the same throughout the different mints which used it. In fact it was subject to IDeal variatiDn , and Kau nDs was among the mints which used a slightly reduced Aeginetic standard of c.11.80 g33 as the followin g frequency tables show. Other such mints were Teos, Mint A and the early Cretan mints J4 By contrast Knidos minted in the 5th century drachms (or halfstaters) of c.6. 15 g on the full Aeginetic standard J5 It is worth noting that IGCH 11 80 included a Kaunian stater of Period IT oversttuck on a stater of Aegina weighing 12.39 g.36 Thi s makes it the heaviest recorded stater of Kaunos, and the failure to reduce it to the local standard was presumably due to an oversight. The reason for the reduction in the Aeginetic standard was probably the profit to be gained from accepting coins of full weight and giving in exchange coi ns that were about 4% lighter.