Thessaly

[B. M. C., Thessaly to Aetolia, 1883.
P. Monceaux, ‘La légende et l'histoire en Thessalie,’ in Rev. des Etudes gr., 1888.
Id. ‘Fastes éponymiques de la Ligue thessalienne,’ in Rev. arch., 1889.]

The fertile plain of Thessaly, shut in on an sides by lofty mountain ranges, and watered by the river Peneius and its tributary streams, was believed to have once formed a vast lake, until, by the agency of the earth-shaking Poseidon, the rocks which confined the waters were rent asunder at the pass of Tempe, and an outlet thus made for the Peneius into the sea (Herod. vii. 129). Hence Poseidon was very generally revered in Thessaly as the creator of the national soil, as well as of the celebrated Thessalian horses which grazed in the rich alluvial plains with which the land abounded (Hom. Il. ii. 763).

As Poseidon ταυρεος (Preller, Gr. Myth., 4th ed., i. 570), games were held in his honour, in which the youth of Thessaly exhibited their skill in seizing wild bulls by the horns ‘praeterea Thessalos equites, qui feros tauros per spatia circi agunt insiliuntque defessos et ad terram cornibus detrahunt’ (Suet., v. Claud., c. 21). These peculiarly national religious festivals were called ταυρεια (Preller, l. c., note 4) and ταυροκαθαφια, and their prevalence throughout the land is amply proved by the coins, on which we see a Thessalian athlete pulling down a raging bull, while on the reverse is usually a horse (accompanied sometimes by the Poseidonian trident), now quietly grazing, now bounding rapidly along with rein flying loose, or issuing from a rock and so symbolizing the springs of clear water called forth by the stroke of the trident of Poseidon, the cleaver of rocks (πετραιος, Preller, l. c., p. 572). ‘Primus ab aequorea percussis cuspide saxis Thessalicus sonipes bellis feralibus omen Exsiluit’ (Lucan, Phars. vi. 396).

Macdonald (Coin Types, p. 98) has been the first to point out that the bull and matador, &c., on the obverses, and the horse or horseman on the reverses, of so many Thessalian coins, are types complementary to one another, and forming together a sort of picture of one of the national bull- fights. It is indeed highly probable that the motif of older Thessalian

The Thessalians do not appear to have felt the want of a coinage of their own before the beginning of the fifth century B.C. It was then that Larissa and Pherae first found it necessary to issue money, and probably on the occasions of the celebration of the ταυρεια of Poseidon.

The weight-standard of the coins of Thessaly, from the earliest times down to the second century B.C., was the Aeginetic. This fact indicates that whatever commercial dealings may have taken place between Thessaly and the outside world beyond its mountain barriers, must have been in the direction of Phocis and Boeotia, where the Aeginetic standard prevailed, and not with Macedon in the north, or with the cities of Euboea, or with Athens.

Historically, the Thessalian coinage falls into three well-defined periods:—

(i) B.C. 480, or earlier, to B.C. 344, from the Persian wars to the time of the subjection of the country by Philip of Macedon, when the autono- mous issues of the Thessalian cities come to an abrupt termination, and are supplanted by the regal money of Macedon. The coins of this period may be subdivided by style into two classes, (α) B.C. 480-400, with the reverse type in an incuse square, and (β) B.C. 400-344, without the incuse square.

(ii) B.C. 302-286. New issue of silver coins in Thessaly, probably on the occasion of the expedition into Thessaly of Demetrius Poliorcetes, who then bestowed liberty upon several Thessalian cities. These silver issues lasted no long time, but it is probable that bronze money con- tinued to be struck in Thessaly throughout the century of Macedonian rule.

(iii) B.C. 196-146. This period is marked by Federal coinages in the names of the Thessalians, the Magnetes, the Perrhaebians, the Aenianians. and the Oetaeans, which came into existence after the proclamation of the freedom of Greece by Flamininus, and lasted until Thessaly was incorporated with the Roman province of Macedonia, B.C. 146.

Geographically, Thessaly is divided into the following districts, Perrhaebia, Histiaeotis, Thessaliotis, Pelasgiotis, Magnesia, Phthiotis, Aeniania, and Oetaea.

Achaei of Phthiotis. The coins assigned in the first edition of this work to the Phthiotan Achaeans are described infra, see Achaean League. Cf. N. C., 1902, p. 324 sq.

Aenianes. The earliest coins of this people belong in style to the later period of fine art.

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The second series of Aenianian coins probably began after the dissolu- tion of the Aetolian League, to which the Aenianes had been subject. These late coins were perhaps intended to pass as Attic didrachms, the obverse type being copied from the coins of Athens. They bear the name in the nominative case of one of the five Aeniarchs of the League (Collitz, Dialectinschr., 1431 b., 1432).

FIG. 171.

Head of Athena; her helmet adorned with griffin and foreparts of horse (Fig. 171).	ΑΙΝΙΑΝΩΝ Slinger adjusting his sling; beside him, two javelins. AR 120 (max.) grs.
Head of Athena in Corinthian helmet. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. II. 3.]	"    Slinger. AR 38 (max.) grs.
Head of Zeus. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. II. 4.]	"    Warrior hurling javelin. AR 36 grs.

The Aenianian bronze coins resemble in their types the silver of the late class. The slinger represented on the coins of this people is pro- bably their mythical king, Phemius, concerning whom See Plutarch (Quaest. Gr. xiii), who relates that the stone with which he slew his adversary was revered as sacred by the Aenianes. See also Hypata, where the above coins were perhaps struck.

Atrax (Pelasgiotis), on the northern bank of the Peneius, about ten miles west of Larissa.

The types of this last coin are copied from the coins of Philip of Macedon.

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Cierium (Thessaliotis), anciently called Arne, after a nymph of that name, a daughter of Aeolos the son of Hippotes (Paus. ix. 40. 3), who by Poseidon became the mother of Boeotos.

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The bronze coins of Cierium date from about the middle of the fourth century and later. Inscr., ΚΙΕΡ., ΚΙΕΡΙΕΩΝ or ΚΙΕΡΙΕΙΩΝ.

Head of Poseidon or Zeus. [Bompois, Ciérium, Pl. I. 5; cf. N. C., 1899, Pl., VII. 3.1	Arne playing with astragali. Æ .55
Id. [Ibid., I. 8.]	Horse galloping; beneath, Arne. Æ .7
Head of Apollo. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. XXXI. 2.]	Zeus hurling fulmen; in field, Arne. Æ .85

The figure of Arne casting lots with astragali has probably no special reference to a local oracle at Cierium. There are numerous purely artistic Thessalian coin-types which can only be accounted for as fanciful devices. If the seated divinity oil the reverse of the first of the above-described coins be indeed Asklepios, as is probable from the prevalence of Asklepian worship in Thessaly (cf. coins of Tricca and Atrax), it is perhaps the earliest representation of that god occurring on coins. See Bompois, Didrachme de Ciérium, Paris, 1876.

Crannon (Pelasgiotis), the residence of the powerful family of the Scopadae, was situated near the source of the river Onchestus, which took its name from Onchestos the son of Poseidon. The coins of Crannon show that Poseidon received especial honours there, not of course as a sea-god, but as the father of springs and rivers. The horse and the bull, accompanied by the trident, taken in connexion with each other, refer to the ταυρεια or bull-fights held at the Poseidonian festivals. The curious type of some of the bronze coins, a hydria on wheels accompanied by two crows, is explained by Antigonus Carystius (Hist. Mirab., 15), who says that ‘the παρασημον or device of the city consisted of two crows seated on a chariot, and that when there occurred a great drought it was customary to agitate, σειειν, or drive about, the chariot whilst petitioning Zeus for rain’ (see also Macdonald, Coin Types, p. 65).

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On the smaller divisions, portions of the above types are represented (B. M. C., Thes., 16; Babelon, Traité, p. 1022).

Demetrias (Magnesia), on the Pagasaean Gulf, was founded by Deme- trius Poliorcetes, B.C. 290, and became the favourite residence of the Macedonian kings. See also Magnetes.

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Eccarra (?) (Phthiotis ?). To an unknown city of this name (probably the Ακαρρα of Steph. Byz. and the Acharrae of Livy (xxxii. 13)) M. Six (N. C., 1890, 186) would assign the coins erroneously attributed to Icaria, an island near Samos. They seem to belong to the latter half of the fourth century B.C.

Head of Zeus laur.

ΕΚΚΑΡΡΕΩΝ Artemis standing to front, resting on spear. Æ .45

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Elateia. See Elateia in Phocis, infra, p. 342.

Eurea (Pelasgiotis ?).

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Eurymenae (Magnesia). See Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encycl. s. v.

Gomphi=Philippopolis (Histiaeotis), at the foot of Mt. Pindus, on the road which led through the pass into Athamania. On the mountain above the town stood a temple of Zeus Akraios, whose statue is seen on

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Gonnus (Pelasgiotis), on the river Peneius, near the pass of Tempe.

Gyrton (Pelasgiotis), about five miles north of Larissa.

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Halus (Phthiotis), on the northern shore of the Pagasaean Gulf, at the extremity of Mt. Othrys, said to have been founded by Athamas, one of the sons of Aeolos. Zeus was here worshipped as the dark god of storm and winter under the epithet of Laphustios (the Devourer). To this divinity Athamas was ordered by an oracle to sacrifice his children Phrixos and Helle. The myth of their rescue by means of the ram with fleece of gold, sent by their divine mother, Nephele, forms the subject of the coin-types of Halus.

The only silver coin known seems to be a modern cast from a bronze piece (Num. Zeit., 1901, 25). The bronze coins may be of two periods, B.C. 400-344 and B.C. 300-200. Some of these last bear the monogram ΑΧ of the Phthiotan Achaeans.

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Heracleia Trachinia (Oetaea). This important Spartan stronghold commanded the only road into Thessaly from the south. It was named Heracleia in consequence of the cult of Herakles, indigenous in Trachis and Oetaea from the earliest times (Preller, Gr. Myth., ii. 247). Its coins belong to the earlier half of the fourth century.

See also Oetaei.

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Homolium (Magnesia), at the foot of Mt. Homole, near the vale of Tempe.

The serpent may here symbolize the worship of Asklepios, or it may be connected with the myth of Philoktetes.

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Hypata (Aeniania). The capital of the Aenianes.

Lamia (Phthiotis), near the head of the Malian Gulf, and the chief town of the people called the Malians. The coins usually read ΛΑΜΙΕΩΝ, more rarely ΜΑΛΙΕΩΝ.

FIG. 172.

Female head (nymph Lamia ?), bound with taenia and wearing ear-ring (Fig. 172).

ΛΑΜΙΕΩΝ Philoktetes or Herakles naked, seated on rock, holds bow in case. AR Dr., 86 grs.

Gardner (Num. Chron., 1878, 266) believed the head on this coin to be a portrait of Lamia, the famous hetaira who captivated and lived with Demetrius Poliorcetes. In her honour both Athens and Thebes erected temples, and the people of the town of Lamia, to flatter Demetrius, may have placed her head on their coins. Friedlaender considered the head in question to be that of Apollo (Zeit. f. Num., vii. 352), and cited a coin of Amphipolis on which a head, presumed by him to be a head of Apollo, wears ear-rings. (See supra, p. 215 note.)

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Larissa (Pelasgiotis), on the right bank of the Peneius, was the most important town in Thessaly, and the residence of the Aleuadae, the noblest of all the aristocratic families of the land.

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The mythical ancestor of the race, Aleuas, was a descendant of Herakles through one of his sons, Thessalos.

The rich series of the coins of Larissa begins at an earlier date than that of any other Thessalian town. The sandal of Jason on the oldest coins refers to the story of the loss of one of that hero’s sandals in cross- ing the river Anaurus. The coins of the best period are of exquisite beauty. The head of the nymph is clearly that of the fountain Larissa, and was doubtless copied from the beautiful full-face head of Arethusa on contemporary tetradrachms of Syracuse. The coin with the head of Aleuas, with the name ΕΛΛΑ on the reverse, may belong to the time of the occupation of Larissa by Alexander of Pherae. The name, ΣΙΜΟΣ, is that of an Aleuad chief who appears to have been appointed tetrarch of one of the four divisions of Thessaly by Philip of Macedon, B.C. 353 (B. M. C., Thes., p. xxv; but see Hill, Hist. Gk. Coins, pp. 93 ff.). On Philip’s second invasion of Thessaly, B.C. 344, he put down the tetrarchs whom he had formerly set up, and Thessaly was brought into direct subjection to Macedon. From this time there is a break in the issue of silver money throughout Thessaly. All coins struck in the country now bore the name and types first of Philip and then of Alexander; and there is nothing to show that Larissa recovered her autonomy until the liberation of Greece by Flamininus in B.C. 197, when it became the place of mintage of the Federal coinage of Thessaly, concerning which see R. Weil, Z. f. N., i. 172 ff., and B. M. C., Thes., pp. 1-6.

FIG. 173.

Thessalian youth restraining bull, or forepart of bull.	Free horse, or forepart of horse in incuse square (Fig. 173).
Horseman or Horse. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. IV. 10, 11.]	Nymph Larissa, seated on chair or sup- porting on her knee a hydria which she has filled at a fountain, or seated on hydria and playing with ball, &c., in incuse square.

This and later reverse types illustrate the story of the nymph Larissa who, while playing ball, fell into the river Peneius (Eustath., ad Hom., 1554, 34).

Inscr., ΛΑΡΙΣΑΙΑ, ΛΑΡΙΣΑ, &c.; Drachms, Trihemiobols, and Obols.

Thessalian youth restraining bull. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. IV. 12, 13; Pl. V. 1, 2, 4.]	Incuse square. Free horse of Poseidon. AR Dr.
Horseman. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. V. 5.]	Incuse square. Nymph Larissa on chair, holding a mirror before her face. AR Trihemiob.
Horse. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. IV. 15; Pl. V. 6-8; N. C., 1902, Pl. XV. 7.]	Incuse square. Nymph in various atti- tudes, playing ball or fastening her sandal, &c. AR Obol.
Id. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. V. 9.]	Incuse square. Asklepios feeding serpent. AR Obol.
Horse’s or bull’s hoof on shield. [B. M. C., Thes., 28, 46; N. C., 1900, Pl. XIII. 11.]	Incuse square. Larissa running and playing ball, or bust of Asklepios with serpent in front. AR Obol.

Inscr., ΛΑΡΙΣΑΙΑ, ΛΑΡΙΣΑΙΩΝ, ΛΑΡΙΣΑ; Didrachms, Drachms, ½ Drachms, and Trihemiobols.

FIG. 174.

Head of fountain nymph, Larissa, at first in profile, and later facing with flowing locks; a copy of Kimon's full-face head of Arethusa on a coin of Syracuse (p. 177) [Fig. 174, also N. C., 1895, Pl. V. 6].	Horse galloping, trotting, grazing, or held by man; or mare walking be- side her foal. Sometimes with name ΣΙΜΟΣ, the Tetrarch of Larissa, B.C. 352-344.
ΑΛΕΥΑ Head of Aleuas in richly ornamented conical helmet.	Eagle on fulmen; in field, ΕΛΛΑ. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. V. 12.] AR Dr.
Running bull. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. V. 13.]	Thessalian horseman galloping. AR Dr.

The obv. and rev types of this last coin are complementary of one another, and, taken together, represent a Thessalian Bull-fight (Mac- donald, Coin Types, p. 99).

Larissa Cremaste (Phthiotis) stood on the slope of a steep hill (hence the surname κρεμαστη) about twenty miles west of the Malian Gulf. It was believed to have anciently formed part of the dominions of Achilles, whose head appears upon some of its coins. When Demetrius Poliorcetes, in B.C. 302, invaded Thessaly he took Pherae and Larissa Cremaste and

On the types of these coins see Reinach in Corolla Num., p. 269.

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Magnetes. This people after the liberation of Thessaly, B.C. 197, struck federal coins for the whole of the Magnesian peninsula at Deme- trias, where their assemblies were held, and where the Magnetarchs resided (Livy xxv. 31). The head of Zeus is clearly contemporary with that on the Federal coins of the Thessali.

Among other types on Imperial coins are Aphrodite Neleia (ΑΦΡΟ. ΝΗΛΕΙΑ) and Zeus ΑΚΡΑΙΟC (Wace, J. H. S., xxvi. pp. 165 ff.).

As Iolcus was one of the towns included in the territory of Demetrias, the Argo is here an appropriate type.

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Malienses, see Lamia.

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Meliboea (Magnesia), on the sea-coast a few miles north of Mt. Pelion, mentioned by Homer as subject to Philoktetes (Il. ii. 717)

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Melitaea (Phthiotis) near the river Enipeus.

The Bee, μελιττα, contains an allusion to the name of the town.

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Methydrium (?) (Thessaliotis), probably near Scotussa (Imhoof, Zeit. f. Num., i. 93).

To this city may be also conjecturally attributed the following ½ drachm:—

Forepart of horse springing from rocks. [N. C., 1890, Pl. XIX. 6.]

//////ΕΘ///// Inc. sq., within which, head of bearded Herakles in lion-skin. AR ½ Dr. 46.6 grs.

The attribution of these two coins to Methydrium is, however, uncer- tain. They may both belong to another city called Methylium, only known from coins; or, as Wroth suggests (N. C., 1890, 317), the ½ Drachm, with the incomplete inscription, should probably be read [Φ]ΕΘ[Α] and be assigned to Pherae (q. v.).

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Methylium. The two following bronze coins are the only existing records of a town of this name.

Metropolis (Histiaeotis), in the plain at the foot of one of the eastern offshoots of the Pindus range, near the borders of Histiaeotis and Thes- saliotis. Aphrodite was here worshipped under the name Καστνιητις, and swine were sacrificed to her (Strab. ix. p. 437 f.)

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Mopsium (Pelasgiotis), between Larissa and Tempe. The town was named after the Lapith Mopsos, the companion of the Argonauts.

The reverse design resembles in several points one of the finest Par- thenon Metopes in the British Museum (B. M. C., Sculp., I. p. 136, no. 310).

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Oetaei. There is said to have been a city called Oeta near the mountain of the same name, the scene of the death of Herakles. The coins of the Oetaei may be compared with those of Heracleia Trachinia.

On the liberation of Thessaly we hear of the κοινον των Οιταιεων, and the coinage begins again on the Attic standard.

Lion’s head, l. [N. C., 1900, Pl. XIII. 12.]

ΟΙΤΑΙΩΝ Herakles naked to front, holding club downwards and lion- skin; head wreathed. AR Diob. 119 grs.

The smaller silver coins resemble those of the previous period, but are of inferior style. Herakles was worshipped by the Oetaei under the name Κορνοπιων, or the ‘Locust-scarer’ (Strab. xiii. p. 613).

Bronze coins of the type of the Aetolian federal money, the spear-head and jaw-bone of the Kalydonian boar, are also known (B. M. C., Thes., Pl. VII. 14).

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Orthe (Perrhaebia), (Pliny iv. 9, sect. 16).

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Peirasiae (Thessaliotis), otherwise called Asterlum, near the junction of the Apidanus and the Enipeus.

Pelinna (Histiaeotis), east of Tricca, near the northern bank of the Peneius.

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Perrhaebi. These people were descendants of the original occupants of Thessaly, and in historical times inhabited the region between Mt. Olympus and the river Peneius. Their chief town was probably the Homeric Oloösson near Tempe.

Inscr., ΠΕ or ΠΕΡΑ on reverse; Silver. Drachms, ½ Drachms, Tri- hemiobols, and Obols.

Thessalian restraining bull or forepart of bull.	Galloping horse or forepart of horse in incuse square. AR Dr. and ½ Dr.
Horseman.	Athena (?) or Thetis seated, holding helmet in incuse square. AR Obol.
Horse galloping.	Athena running with spear and shield in incuse square. AR Obol.
Forepart of bull. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. VIII. 7-11.]	Horse’s head in incuse square. AR Obol.
Head of Athena. [Fox, i. Pl. VII. 70.]	ΠΕ Forepart of horse. AR ½ Obol.

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Petthali. A Thessalian people known only from an inscription and from the following bronze coins:—

For other coins attributed to the Petthali see Imhoof, Rev. Suisse, Tom. XIV.

Peumata. (Phthiotis ?). See U. Köhler, Zeit. f. Num., xii. p. 110.

Head of nymph bound with oak-wreath. [Zeit. f. Num., xii. p. 111.]

ΠΕΥΜΑΤΙΩΝ written round the large monogram of the Achaeans ΑΧ in field, helmet. Æ .5

If the silver coins assigned by Gardner to the Phthiotan Achaeans belong in reality to the early Achaean League (N. C., 1902, 324); there would seem to be no cogent reason why Peumata should be assigned to Phthiotis. It is noticeable that the symbol, a helmet, is present also on the silver coins. (See Achaean League, infra.)

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Phacium (Pelasgiotis), near the banks of the Peneius, between Atrax and Pharcadon.

Phalanna (Perrhaebia), a few miles north-west of Lariassa, on the left bank of the Peneius. Cf. Steph. Byz. Φαλαννα, πολις Περραιβιας απο Φαλαννης της Τυρους Θυγατρος.

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Phaloria (Histiaeotis), in the west of Thessaly. The only known coins are the following:—

Pharcadon (Histiaeotis), on the left bank of the Peneius, between Pelinna and Atrax. The silver coins of this town all belong to the fifth century.

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Pharsalus (Thessaliotis), on the left bank of the Enipeus, about twenty-five miles south of Larissa, one of the most important cities of Thessaly, and famous as the scene of the great victory of Caesar over Pompey. Pharsalus began to strike money about the time of the Persian wars, and continued to do so, perhaps without intermission, down to the reign of Philip of Macedon.

FIG. 175.

During the period of finest art the silver coins frequently bear abbreviated names of magistrates, ΤΗ, ΙΠ, ΤΕΛΕΑΝΤΟ (retrogr.), &c.

Head of Athena facing, in triple crested helmet, between spear and shield. [B. M. C., Thes., p. 45.]

ΦΑΡΣΑ or ΦΑΡΣΑΛΙΩΝ Horseman brandishing weapon; behind him, sometimes, a foot soldier carrying a second weapon over his shoulder, and in front an enemy facing him on foot. Æ .85

The weapon on these coins resembles a crooked club (pedum) and is called by Th. Reinach (Corolla Num., p. 270) a ‘mace of arms'.

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Pherae (Pelasgiotis). Next to Larissa, Pherae was the foremost town in Thessaly, and one of the most ancient. It was situated a little to the west of Mt. Pelion. From a rocky height on the northern side of the city gushed forth the famous fountain Hypereia, which is represented on the coins as a stream of water flowing from the mouth of a lion’s head, and perhaps also, under the form of the horse of Poseidon, issuing from the face of a rock, or bounding along with loose rein; but as such horse- types are frequent throughout Thessaly it is safer to regard them at Pherae also as referring directly to the worship of Poseidon, who, by striking the rock with his trident, created the first horse (Lucan, Phars. vi. 396), or to the games held in his honour.

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Pherae began to coin money quite as early as, if not earlier than, the Persian wars. Among the chief varieties are the following:—

Thessalian subduing bull. [B. M. C. Thes., Pl. X. 1, 2.]	ΕRΑΙ, ΕΑΙΟN Horse with loose rein, a lion’s head fountain pouring a jet of water across his back; all in incuse square. AR Dr.
Similar, but forepart of bull. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. X. 3.]	ΕRΑ Forepart of horse springing from rock in incuse square. AR ½ Dr.
Similar, beneath, ΧΑΡ (?). [N. C., 1891, Pl. IV. 6.]	ΕR Naked Rider on forepart of horse, in incuse square. AR ½ Dr.
Head and neck of bull clasped by bull- fighter. [Brit. Mus.]	ΕRΑ &c. Horse’s head in incuse square. AR Obol.

The following archaic coins, with a few others of Methydrium (?), Larissa, and Scotussa (Babelon, Traité, Pl. XLIII. 7, 15, 21-4, 26-8), form together a distinct group, differentiated from other Thessalian coins by the transposition of the incuse square, which is placed diagonally in rela- tion to the types. It is somewhat doubtful whether the coins of this gruop, reading Ε, with the addition of another syllable ΘΑ, ΤΑ, &c. (see Babelon, Traité, p. 1030), are rightly assigned to Pherae.

Forepart of horse springing from rock; or horse’s head. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. X. 4-7.]	Ε, Ε ΘΑ, or Ε ΤΑ, Corn-grain with its husk, in deep incuse square. AR Dr., ½ Dr., and Obol.
Horse’s head. [Ibid., Pl. X. 8.]	Ε ΘΑ Club in incuse square. AR Obol.
Forepart of horse springing from rock. [Photiades Cat., 162.]	ΦΕ ΘΑ between the prongs of an ornamented trident, in incuse square. AR Dr.

No coins are known with the name of the famous Jason of Pherae, but of the tyrant Alexander, who obtained the supreme power soon after Jason’s death, we possess valuable numismatic records.

FIG. 176.

Head of Hekate, facing, her r. hand holding torch. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. X. 11.]	ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ or ΑΛΕΞΑΝΑΡΕΙ- ΟΣ Armed horseman prancing; beneath, and on horse’s flank, a bipennis (Fig. 176). AR Didrachm.
Head of Hekate in profile; in front, her hand holding torch. [Ibid., Pl. X. 12.]	ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ Lion’s head. AR Dr.
Head of Artemis Ennodia r. laur. Inscr., ΕΝΝΟΔΙΑΣ. [Ibid., Pl. X. 13.]	ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ or ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑ Lion’s head [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. X. 13]. AR Dr.
Young male head in petasos. [N. C., 1894, Pl. IV. 9.]	ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΟΝ Leg and foot of horse. AR Dr.
Wheel. [B. M.]	ΑΛΕ Bipennis. AR Obol.

With regard to the various forms of the inscr. ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΟΣ, ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑ, and ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΟΝ, see Mac- donald, Coin Types, p. 127. In these instances the denominations of the coins are probably to be understood, e.g. στατηρ, δραχημ, ημιδραχμον or τριοβολον, &c.

The cultus of Artemis Ennodia was connected with that of Hekate. Under this name she was worshipped as the goddess of the wayside or the cross-roads (Regling, Journ. Int., 1905, 175). The bipennis as an adjunct on the reverse reminds us of the special worship paid by Alexander of Pherae to the Dionysos of Pagasae, who was surnamed Πελεκυς, from the sacrificial axe used in sacrificing to him. Cf. Simonides (apud Athen. 10, 84), who calls the axe Διωνυσοιο ανακτος βουφονον θεραποντα. See the Schol. on Hom. Il. xxiv. 428 Θεοπομπος φησιν Αλεξανδρον Φεραιον Διονυσον τον εν Παγασαις ος εκαλειτο Πελεκυς ευσεβειν διαφορως. The double- axe also occurs as an adjunct symbol on early coins of Larissa (p. 298 supra).

This tyrant was one of the brothers of Thebe, the wife of Alexander, who usurped the tyranny after Alexander’s assassination.

Proërna. (Thessaliotis).

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Rhizus (Magnesia ?). This place is mentioned by Strabo (ix. pp. 436, 443) and Steph. Byz. :— Ριζους πολις Θεσσαλιας το εθνικον Ριζουντιος. According to Strabo it was one of eight neighbouring πολιχναι, whose inhabitants were removed by Demetrius Poliorcetes (B.C. 290) to his new foundation Demetrias. Judging from the following coins, Rhizus must have been of greater importance in the fourth century B.C.

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Scotussa. (Pelasgiotis), between Pherae and Pharsalus. The coins of this town are of three periods.

These coins are identical in type with others of similar fabric reading ΜΕΘΥ (Methydrium ?), ΦΕ ΘΑ and ΦΕ ΤΑ (Pherae ?).

In B.C. 367 Scotussa was treacherously seized by Alexander of Pherae, and ceased for some time to strike coins.

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Thebae (Phthiotis). There are no early coins of this town; all those that are known certainly belong to the time of Demetrius.

Protesilaos was a native of this part of Thessaly, and at the neighbour- ing Phylace there was a temple sacred to him, mentioned by Pindar (Isthm. i. 84):—

Πρωτεσιλα το τεον δ’ ανδρων Αχαιον
εν Φυλακα τεμενος ουμβαλλομαι.

For other varieties see Zeit. f. N., i. p. 175.

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Tricca (Histiaeotis) was named after the fountain-nymph Trikka, a daughter of the river-god Peneios, on the left bank of whose stream the city stood. The town is mentioned by Homer as subject to Podaleirios and Machaon, sons of Asklepios, who led the Triccaeans in the Trojan war. At Tricca was the most ancient and illustrious of all the temples of Asklepios in Greece, and to this sacred place the sick had recourse from all parts (Strab. viii. 374; ix. 437).

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Thessali. In B.C. 196, after the battle of Cynoscephalae, the Thessali, the Perrhaebi, and the Magnetes, were proclaimed free by Flamininus, whereupon the Thessali instituted a federal currency, probably striking their coins at Larissa.

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The Magnetes at the same time began to issue silver and bronze at their capital Demetrias, as did also the Perrhaebi at Oloosson. All these coinages came to an end in B.C. 146, when Thessaly was incorporated in the Roman province of Macedon.

FIG. 177.

Head of Zeus crowned with oak. Behind, sometimes, the name of the Strategos of the League in the genitive case. (Among the names of Strategi whose dates are known are Androsthenes, B.C. 187, and Nicocrates, B.C. 182.)	ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ The Thessalian Athena Itonia (Paus. x. 1. 10) in fighting attitude, usually accompanied by the names of two magistrates, of which one is often in the genitive (Fig. 177). AR Double Victoriatus = 1½ Denarii, wt. 100-86 grs.
Head of Apollo with name of the Strategos.	ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ Demeter with torch in each hand. AR Victoriatus = ¾ denarius, 47-41 grs.
Head of Apollo with name or mono- gram of the Strategos.	ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ Athena Itonia and magistrate’s name [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. I. 3] AR Attic Dr.
Head of Athena Itonia. [B. M. C., Thes, Pl. I. 4, 6.]	ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ Horse. AR Attic Dr.
Head of Zeus in oak-wreath. [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. I. 5.]	Athena Itonia and magistrate’s name. AR Attic ½ Dr.

The bronze coins resemble the Drachms, having on the obverse a head of Apollo or Athena, and on the reverse Athena fighting, or a horse (R. Weil, Zeit. f. N., i. 177 sqq.). There are, however, a few exceptional types among which the following may be mentioned:—

Caesar, after the battle of Pharsalia, conferred liberty once more on the Thessalians, and henceforth Thessaly, even after its incorporation in the Roman province of Achaia, B.C. 27, was treated as a separate κοινον, headed by a strategos, and with a concilium which met at Larissa. The Imperial coins from Augustus to Hadrian bear the name of the strategos, and in the reign of Augustus usually the inscr ΣΕΒΑΣΤΗΩΝ SΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ. From M. Aurelius to Gallienus the coins read ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΘΕCCΑΛΩΝ, the name of the strategos being omitted, and marks of value usually added, Γ, or Δ (= 3 or 4 assaria) (B. M. C., Thes., pp. 6-9). Among the types may be mentioned—Head of Achilles, with inscr. ΑΧΙΛΛΕΥC (see Th. Reinach, in Corolla Num., pp. 266 fr.), Apollo Kitharoedos, Athena Itonia, Nike, Asklepios, &c.

ISLANDS ADJACENT TO THESSALY

Icus.

Head of Poseidon, laur.

ΙΚΙΩΝ Trident and dolphins. [Imhoof, Mon. gr., p. 134] Æ .65

Peparethus (Scopelos), an island lying off the coast of the Thessalian Magnesia, widely known for its excellent wine (Pliny, H. N. xiv. 7. 76), was said to have been colonized by Staphylos, son of Dionysos and Ariadne. There were three towns in the island, Peparethus, Selinus, and Panormus, with probably a single mint at Peparethus. Wroth (J. H. S., 1907, 90 sqq.) has proved that, circ. B.C. 500 to 480, Peparethus struck the tetradrachms of Euboïc weight, some of which were formerly attributed by me to Cyrene. The types are as follows, and their variety suggests trade relations with other cities, chiefly perhaps in Chalcidice and Cos, where some of them have been found.

Large bunch of grapes. [J. H. S., 1907, Pl. IV. 1.]	Running winged figure (Agon ?) in incuse square. AR 261 grs.
Id. [N. C., 1891, Pl. I. 3]	Head of bearded Herakles in incuse square. AR 265 grs.
Large bunch of grapes between two small bunches. [J. H. S., 1907, Pl. IV. 5.]	Id. AR 256 grs.
Id. [Ibid., Pl. IV. 4, 6.]	Crested Corinthian helmet in incuse square. AR 253.4 grs.
Id. [Rev. Suisse, XIV. Pl. VI. 18.]	Id. AR Didr. 125 grs.
Id. With dolphins swimming round grapes. [J. H. S., 1907, Pl. IV. 7.]	Four ivy-leaves in cruciform pattern with in centre, in incuse square. AR 273 grs.

During the greater part of the fifth century B.C. Peparethus seems to have been subordinate to Athens, and no coins were issued in the island; but the following bronze pieces show that in the fourth century B.C. Dionysos was still the chief divinity of the Peparethians.

Svoronos (Journ. int. d'arch. num., I. p. 86) also gives to Peparethus the uncertain coins, Obv. Young male head in ivy-wreath, Rev. ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ Amphora, assigned by Imhoof (Mon. gr., 65) to Apollonia Mygdoniae (see supra, p. 204). With these he would also class the coins, Obv. Head of Apollo laur., Rev. ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣΙΑΤΡΟΥ Apollo standing with branch and bow, attributed by Pick, Jahrb. arch. Inst., xiii. 169, to Apollonia Pontica.

Coins also exist with the heads of Augustus and of Commodus (Hunter Cat., I. Pl. XXX. 20).

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Sciathus. Bronze coins of circ. B.C. 350.

Head of Apollo, or of Hermes; or Gorgon-head, facing.

ΣΚΙΑΘΙ or ΣΚ Caduceus [B. M. C., Thes., Pl. XI. 17-19]. AR .65-.5

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