Struck in High Relief
MACEDON (Roman Protectorate), Republican period. First Meris. Circa 167-149 BC. AR Tetradrachm (32mm, 17.01 g, 8h). Amphipolis mint. Diademed and draped bust of Artemis right, bow and quiver over shoulder, in the center of a Macedonian shield decorated with seven eight-pointed stars within double crescents, each separated by three pellets /
MAKEDONWN PRWTHS, club; monogram above, two monograms below; all within oak wreath, thunderbolt to left. Prokopov dies Ba3/KA10; AMNG III/1, 172; SNG Copenhagen 1313 (same obv. die); SNG Ashmolean -; SNG Berry 385 (same dies). EF, lightly toned. Exceptional large head in high relief.
After the defeat of Perseus at the battle of Pydna in 168 BC, the Romans divided Macedonia into four separate autonomous administrative regions (merides); the first (PRWTES) lay east of the Strymon with its capital at Amphipolis, the second (DEUTERAS) between the Strymon and Axios with its capital at Thessalonica, the third between the Axios and Peneos with its capital at Pella, and the fourth included most of Upper Macedonia with its capital at Heraclea Lynci. Livy informs us that initially all commerce between the regions, exploitation of the silver and gold mines and the importation of salt were forbidden. Almost all the coinage of this period is struck in the name of the first region and runs parallel to the mass coinages of Thasos and Maroneia from about 158 BC. No silver is known from the third and fourth regions, and only a small number of rare tetradrachms from the second region. These four regions only lasted until 148 BC when the country was finally united to constitute a Roman Province and proceeded to issue coins under the authority of its legatus pro praetore.
