Exploring Stephanophoric Coinage of Ancient Greece

When it comes to coins with true value as pieces of ancient art, there are few that surpass the coinage of Ancient Greece. As evidenced by their coinage, architecture, and sculpture, and other pursuits, art was an important facet of life for ancient Greeks, and fell under their overarching cultural philosophy of arete (excellence in all aspects of life).

There are many examples of beautiful artistry within Ancient Greek coinage, and one cant write an entire novel on the numismatic accomplishments of this prominent culture. In this article, we will be exploring one particular group of Ancient Greek coins that are prized by collectors for their historical important and stunning beauty; the stephanophoric coinage.

What is Stephanophoric Coinage?

Before we dive into analyzing beautiful examples of this coinage, we should first answer the question that is likely on the top of everyone’s mind; what is stephanophoric coinage?

 Unlike most distinctions of ancient coins, the term “stephanophoric” does not describe a denomination, civilization, or dynastic family. Instead, stephanophoric coins (or stephanophoroii) describe a group of coins minted around the same historic period that share some distinct features - the most prominent being the image of a wreath. All examples of stephanophoroii are artistically beautiful, with high relief portraits of deities and other subjects.

 These coins are of particular interest to collectors not only due to their beauty, but their short amount of time minted as well. Stephanophoric coins were only minted for a short period in the 2nd century BCE, causing quality examples to often fetch lofty sums. The most valuable of these coins are of course tetradrachms, the largest (and heaviest) of Greek coinage. Their scarcity, size, beauty, and silver purity provide a winning combinaton in the eyes of coin collectors worldwide.

The History of Stephanophoroi

The historic context of the stephanophoroi coins should not be ignored either. To understand the historical significance of these coins, we need to take a look back to the time in which they were minted. The true reason for why these coins were minted is debated by numismatists to this day, and multiple theories have been put forward.

Early examples of stephanophoric coins appear in 154 BCE, following an attack on Magnesia  by the king of the Greek kingdom of Bithynia, Prusias II. Prusias was eventually defeated, and to celebrate this accomplishment, some of the first stephanophoric coins were minted.

Decades earlier, The Seleucid Empire (at one point the most prominent power in Ancient Greece) waged a war against the Roman Republic, fearing the influence of Rome on Ancient Greece. This war culminated in the Battle of Magnesia in 190-189 BCE. The Seleucid Empire was defeated, and thus was forced to relinquish it’s territorial claims in Asia Minor, weakening the Empire greatly. Obviously this was bad news for the Seleucid Empire, but great news for it’s former subjects who lived in various Greek city-states. After being subjugated by the Seleucid’s for centuries, they were finally free from their dynastic rule, and celebrated the occasion by minting stunning new stephanophoric coins.

Examples of Stephanophoroii

Since the weakening of the Seleucid Empire affected multiple different city states, there are a variety of different examples of Stephanophoroii from various regions, which differ in terms of design and beauty. The most prominent city-states that minted Stephanophoric coins were Myrina, Kyme, and Magnesia ad Meandrum. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular (and beautiful) examples of stephanophoric coinage.

Kyme Stephanophoroii

As previously stated, the Greek city-state of Kyme (the largest of the Greek city-states in Asia Minor - located in modern-day Turkey) was one of the most prominent to mint Stephanophoric coinage, like the example found here. As soon as one sets eyes upon this piece, they can see why coins of this category are prized by collectors. On the obverse we have a beautifully detailed portrait, with one point of interest: the portrait is not of a deity or ruler, but instead of the Amazon Kyme. Kyme was believed to be founded by the Amazon, a mythical tribe of women warriors, lead by Kyme.

On the reverse, we see a depiction of a horse surrounded by the words ΚΥΜΑΙΩΝ (Kyme) and ΣΕΥΘΗΣ (Magistrate). Surrounding both the inscription and horse is the beautiful wreath, a trademark of stephanophoric coinage.

Ionia Stephanophoroii of Magnesia ad Maeandrum

Next up is this stunning example, emblematic of stephanophoric coinage from Magnesia ad Maeandrum, a Greek city located in Ionia, on the western coast of modern-day Turkey. Unlike the example from Kyme, this tetradrachm features an obverse with a portrait of Artemis, complete with a diadem (crown), bow and quiver. These aspects of the portrait indicate the image of a deity, unlike the portrait seen on the example from Kyme. On the reverse of this coin, we see an intricate depiction of Apollo surrounded by a wreath and inscription including “of the Magnesians”.

 Myrina Stephanophoroii

Here is another example of stephanophoroii, this time from the Greek city of Myrina, located on an island in modern-day Greece, off the coast of Turkey. In this example, we see an obverse depicting the god Apollo, complete with a laureate around his head. On the reverse of the coin we see Apollo holding an olive branch in his left hand, a well-known symbol of peace. This example was struck in 155-145 B.C.E., so this coin was likely commemorating the defeat of Prusias II. As with the other examples we’ve looked at, this coin also includes the ornate wreath surrounding the deities, typical of stephanophoric coinage. This time, the inscription denotes the city it was minted in, Myrina!

Why You Should Start Collecting Stephanophoric Coins

As with most pieces of Greek silver, there has been a renewed level of interest in stephanophoric coins in recent years, with groups of collectors continually seeking out high-quality examples of these beautiful pieces to add to their collections.

If you have the budget available, we recommend adding a stephanophoric piece to your collection for multiple reasons, including:

1. Scarcity

These coins were minted for a very short period of time (approximately 40 years), and were minted in Asia Minor within the ancient Greek civilizations. In general, cities in ancient Greece minted smaller quantities of coins compared to their Roman counterparts.

2. Silver Purity

Unlike later Roman silver coinage, Ancient Greek coinage of this period ranged from anywhere between 96-99% pure silver. For this reason, these coins are very attractive for collecting.

3. Artistic Quality

We’ve spoken about this at length in this article, but the artistic quality of these pieces cannot be denied. With intricate details and fine styling, stephanophoroii are some of the most eye-catching ancient coins to ever be minted.

Stephanophoric Coins at Kinzer Coins

At Kinzer Coins, we expertly curate ancient coins from a variety of different civilizations across history. Explore our Ancient Greek collections and secure your first stephanophoric piece today!