The Early Antigonids Coinage, Money, and the Economy

This systematic analysis of the gold and silver coinages of 'King Antigonos' is intended to explore the nature of the Antigonid cash economy during the second and the third quarter of the third century BC. The author's principal aim in reconstructing the precious metal coinage of 'King Antigonos' is to comprehend the way in which the mints concerned functioned and to identify the major issues of the period. This helps us to answer questions such as, whether or not production was continuous; on which occasions/for which purposes the mints operated; where and why the coins produced circulated and what their value at the time was; finally, whether these issues outlasted their initiator, Antigonos Gonatas. The macroeconomic profile of Antigonid Makedonia during this period is completed by an attempt to quantify and to contextualize these Antigonid silver issues. Explanations other than military for the production of this coinage are explored and the chronology and the role of those silver coins issued posthumously in the name of Alexander that are currently assigned to the early reign of Gonatas are reconsidered. Finally, the geographical distribution of these Antigonid issues is reassessed.