ABSTRACT

As early as the late 19th century, Friedrich Imhoof-Blumer and Percy Gardner published a “Numismatic Commentary on Pausanias”, showing that coin imagery provided ample visual evidence for Pausanias’ text. Both Pausanias’ work and the coinage of the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE share a strong interest in the myth-historical past of the Roman province of Achaea. But, as I argue in this chapter, the visual repertoire that is offered by these coins is more than a mere antiquarian hotchpotch. Taking a regional approach, I concentrate on the coinage of three poleis in the Argolid: Argos, Epidaurus, and Troezen. Focusing on selected examples, this chapter shows that the numismatic imagery is more than a mere illustration of the past. The topics covered on the coins of these three cities are not only heavily anchored in 2nd century CE polis life, but rather pertain to larger discourses around different versions of the past that can be traced in other media as well.