Early Lydian Coinage and Chronology

The kingdom of Lydia, a province in Western Asia Minor, was a neighbour of the Ionian Greeks settling along the West Coast of what is Turkey today. The coinage of the Lydian kingdom is known mostly for the coins of its last king, Croesus (561546 BC). Croesus bimetallic coinage consisted of two parallel series in gold and silver. His forefathers, however, had issued electrum coins. Electrum is an alloy of gold and silver with a low admixture of copper (to harden the coin). Lydian electrum coins were found in excavations together with the earliest electrum coins minted by the Greek cities of Ionia. Thus the royal Lydian coinage emerged among the earliest coins altogether, perhaps forming the first series of coins from the Western hemisphere. The birth of coinage is still shrouded in mystery, as the majority of the early electrum coinages cannot be attributed to specific mints. The coins of Ephesos can be identified by the emblem of a bee, likewise those of Miletos by the reclining lion, or the coins of Phokaia by the seal. However, there are some 400 series of early electrum coins: many of them can be roughly classified and dated, yet we do not know who had them minted, not to mention the particular occasion and historical circumstances. In this confusing situation the royal Lydian coinage stands out by its distinct style and consistency. Throughout their material culture, the Lydians displayed a liking for lions. Hence, heads of aggressively roaring lions make the emblem of royal Lydian coins. In the beginning, it was two confronted lion heads; later on, this scheme was abandoned in favour of a single lion head facing right. A special feature of the earliest group provides a clue for the overall chronology: there are coin legends between the confronted lion heads. The legends are written in archaic Lydian letters; both reading and translation have been debated since a long time. It is agreed that the legends refer to certain names, but details are controversial. The most frequent coin legend, FAFET, has often been related to the Lydian king Alyattes, the father of Croesus. Another legend, KVKAIM, might refer to king Gyges, an ancestor of Alyattes. Other evidence must also be taken into account. There are the archaeological contexts in which coins of this kind have been found. Paradoxically, the stratigraphy of relevant findings seemingly turns thingsthe sequence of kingsupside down and needs to be confronted with the numismatic evidence. This project is designed to examine the first groups of the royal Lydian coinage, both those bearing coin legends and those unepigraphic, by various kinds of approach. A die- study to ascertain the sequence of issues will form the backbone of the project; metal analyses will provide another important parameter. Various ancient sourcesLydian, Greek, and Assyrian as well as archaeological records must be reconsidered. The aim is to reconstruct Lydian chronology from the coins.

Early Lydian Coinage and Chronology The kingdom of Lydia was a neighbour of the Ionian Greeks, who settled along the west coast of modern-day Turkey. The coinage of the Lydians is best known for the coins of their last king, Kroisos (561-546 BC). The bimetallic coinage of Kroisos consisted of two parallel series in gold and silver. His ancestors had minted electrum coins. Electrum is an alloy of gold and silver with a small admixture of copper to harden the alloy. Lydian and Greek electrum coins were found together in excavations. The Lydian coinage is probably the earliest coin series of the western hemisphere. This project investigated the earliest phase of Lydian coinage: that of the 7th century BC. During this period, the Lydian Empire had to defend itself against the attacks of a steppe people, the Cimmerians, and sought alliances with Assyrians and Egyptians. The coinage of the Lydian Empire is obviously connected with these warlike events. The chronology centres on Lydian electrum coins with inscription legends. One, KVKAIM, can be linked to the Lydian king Gyges, who played the leading role in the conflict with the Cimmerians and in diplomatic contacts with Assur. The other, FAFET, was previously associated with Gyges' great-grandson Alyattes. As can now be proven, it must be Gyges' son, who also bears the name Alyattes in some written sources. Since coins of this Alyattes were discovered in a hoard found in the Artemision of Ephesus, which is dated to the decades 640-620 based on the archaeological context, the equation KVKAIM = Gyges is confirmed: according to Assyrian cuneiform texts, Gyges was killed in 644 in the war against the Cimmerians. The minting of the FAFET immediately followed Gyges' death. In fact, the coinage with the legend KVKAIM is not the oldest coinage. It is technically directly linked not only to the more recent coinage of its successor FAFET, but also to two older anepigraphic series. The earliest phase of Lydian coinage appears quite chaotic: several series with varied iconography and a sometimes awkward style, but consistent weight standard, lead to the small coinage with the name of Gyges, before the Lydian coinage under his successor FAFET is steered into an orderly course, suddenly increasing in size and showing signs of standardisation as to its iconography. This was a side effect of the consolidation of the Lydian state under Gyges' son, who, after successfully fending off the Cimmerians, set about expanding the Lydian Empire in all directions. He and his successors up to Kroisos waged war on numerous neighbours-especially the Ionian Greeks-until the empire collapsed under the onslaught of the Persians Once again, ancient coinage mirrors military planning and warlike events.