The American Numismatic Society (ANS) is pleased to announce that an updated version of PELLA (numismatics.org/pella) has now been launched.
As a component of the National Endowment of the Humanities-funded Hellenistic Royal Coinages project, PELLA is an innovative research tool aiming, among other things, to provide a comprehensive typology and catalog of the coinages struck by the Macedonian kings of the Argead dynasty (c. 700–310 BCE), arguably the most influential coinages of the ancient Greek world. Fueled first by indigenous precious metal mines in their native Macedonia, and later by the spoils of their conquests, including the rich treasures of the Persian Empire, the Argeads’ numismatic output was monumental. For centuries after their deaths, coins in the name of Philip II (ruled 359–336 BCE) and Alexander the Great (ruled 336–323 BCE) continued to be produced by successor kings, civic mints, and imitators from Central Asia to Central Europe.
The coinage of the Argeads themselves and that produced in their names has been extensively studied, but to date no comprehensive, easily accessible catalog of their coinages exists. PELLA is designed to fill that gap, cataloging the individual coin types of the Argead kings from Alexander I (ruled 498–454 BCE), the first of the Macedonian kings to strike coins, down to Philip III Arrhidaeus (ruled 323–317 BCE), the last of the titular kings to do so. Included as well as are the numerous posthumous civic and successor coinages struck in the names of the kings.
The updated version now includes the coinage (in the name of) Philip II, which is organized using George Le Rider’s Le monnayage d’argent et d’or de Philippe II frappé en Macédoine de 359 a 294 (1977). This material joins the existing coinage (in the name) of Alexander III and Philip III, which is organized using reference numbers from Martin Price’s The Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus (London, 1991). The updated version of PELLA now provides links to over 20,000 examples of the coinage (in the name) of Philip II, the coinage (in the name) of Alexander the Great, and the coinage of Philip III Arrhidaeus that are present in 19 collections located in the United States and Europe.
“This expansion of PELLA,” noted Project Co-Director Dr. Peter van Alfen, Chief Curator at the ANS, “greatly enhances our Hellenistic Royal Coinages suite of online resources. Philip II’s coinage was hugely important and influential, so having this material available for use and study will be a great benefit for numismatists, scholars, and collectors alike.”
For information, please contact Emma Pratte at (212) 571-4470, ext. 117, [email protected].
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The American Numismatic Society (ANS), organized in 1858 and incorporated in 1865 in New York State, operates as a research museum under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is recognized as a publicly supported organization under section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) as confirmed on November 1, 1970.
