The chronology and development of the coinage of Corinth to the Peloponnesian War

Coupar, Sally-Anne (2000) The chronology and development of the coinage of Corinth to the Peloponnesian War. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This study's objective is to elucidate the numismatic history of the city of Corinth from the inception of the coinage to the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in 431BC.

The method used in pursuit of the objective was to carry out a comprehensive die study which collected and analysed all known Corinthian dies with curved wing Pegasus type. Hoard and overstrike evidence was used to help order the sequence of the dies, as was the stylistic development. The numismatic, historical and archaeological evidence provided key dates which anchored the sequence and allowed the chronology of the coinage of Corinth to be revealed.

The results of this study show that Corinth was one of the earliest Greek cities to issue coins. The silver necessary for the coinage was obtained from the coins of other cities and probably also from mines in the Thrace and Macedonian area. The main mint of Corinth was supplemented by an auxiliary mint at times and it also provided either dies or coins for Corinthian colonies.

This study's conclusions indicate that the output from the Corinthian mint was sustained and prolific, and participation in the Corinthian economy was rigorously controlled by the city authorities. This study has also shown that the only evidence for a break in activity at the Corinthian mint is in the mid 450's BC, and that the operation of the mint was not affected by the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CJ Numismatics; C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Archaeology
• Supervisor's Name: Bateson, Dr. J.D.
• Date of Award: 2000
• Depositing User: Elaine Ballantyne
• Unique ID: glathesis:2000-2557
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 03 May 2011
• Last Modified: 10 Dec 2012 13:57
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/2557