Greek-Illyrian coinage of the central Adriatic region: an overview

Abstract

The paper offers an overview of the latest research on the so-called Greek-Illyrian coinage of the eastern Adriatic. More precisely, it focuses on the part of the region encompassed by the modern Republic of Croatia, i.e. the central Adriatic region. The coins in question were issued by the Greek poleis Pharos, Issa, Heraclea and Korkyra and by the Illyrian ruler Ballaios from the first half of the 4th to the 2nd c. BC, mostly in bronze but rarely also in silver. During this period, a distinctive regional monetary system can be reconstructed, one that played an important role in both local and regional economic history of the central Adriatic region.

Keywords

• Greek-Illyrian coinage
• Pharos
• Issa
• Heraclea
• Korkyra
• Korčula