Argilos, A Hitorical and Nomismatic Study

The monograph “Argilos, A Historical and Numismatic Study”, inaugurating the series Kerma, presents for the first time the political and economic history of ancient Argilos. The city was a colony of settlers from the island of Andros and it was founded on the coast of Bisaltia, between the Strymon river and the region of Chalkidike.The comparative examination of the ancient written sources together with the archeaological remains and particularly the study of the coins (corpus) produced by Argilos, enable the re-composition of the historical physiognomy of the city from Archaic to Hellenistic times, shedding light on evidence unknown until now.It is revealed that the city was an important economic centre during Archaic and early Classical times, and that very soon it attracted the interest of the cities further south and of the Asia Minor Greeks.During the Classical and Hellenistic periods the political and economic situation of Argilos shows notable breaks that are connected with military operations in the region by the Athenians, the Spartans and, later on, by the Macedonian kings. Argilos underwent a steady political and economic decline beginning with the time of Philip II’s expansion, when the city finally became part of the Macedonian kingdom. The population shrank dramatically in numbers and from about the middle of the 2nd century BC onwards there is no sign of life in the city.