This book focuses on the coinage of the city Gangra-Germanicopolis in Paphlagonia and is a highly welcome contribution to the under-studied history of Northern Anatolia. The study emerged from the dynamic of French numismatic studies during the last two decades to explore the coinage of Roman cities in Pontus and Paphlagonia (p. 13 n. 34).
The introductory chapter provides a brief overview of the history of Gangra/Germanicopolis/Çankırı and sets out developments in research on its coinage since the nineteenth century. Gangra is known as the royal residence of the Paphlagonian kings; evidently Morzios and Deiotarus Philadelphus resided there. Probably in a.d. 5/6, the city was incorporated into the Roman Empire. According to the literary tradition the name Gangra signifies ‘goat’ in the Paphlagonian language, which is explained by a mythical narrative of a goat herder (p. 9). The city was renamed Germanicopolis possibly after Tiberius or Germanicus (p. 10), but returned to its ancient name Gangra in the third century a.d. Historical sources provide little information on Gangra/Germanicopolis and, as it is completely covered by the modern city Çankırı, there are no archaeological remains of the ancient city. Therefore, Gangra's coinage presents a valuable source of information for the reconstruction of its history.
The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 provides documentation, Part 2 includes interpretation, while Part 3 compiles non-numismatic source material. Part 1, ‘Les monnaies’, comprises four chapters. Chapter 1 begins with an explanatory ‘guide de lecture’. Coins with and without the city name ‘Gangra-Germanicopolis’ are listed separately in two catalogues. Each catalogue is organised according to the chronological sequence of emperors, Septimius Severus and Julia Domna, Caracalla, Geta. This excellently documented corpus of 188 bronze coins, accompanied by images and indexes, forms the backbone of the book.
Chapter 2 deals with the dating and classification of the coins. The city issued coins only under the first Severans, and the dated coins are only from the years 208/209–209/210. For this short period of minting the relatively high amount of preserved coins, which include a great variety of types, has always puzzled scholars. L. Robert came straight to the point with ‘orgy of coinage’ (p. 67). Chapter 3 focuses on metrology, organisation and the volume of issues. The denominations of the bronze coins include assarion, diassarion, hemiassarion and tetraassion. From these 188 bronze coin types, 56 obverse and 126 reverse, the authors are able to extrapolate an amount that was enough to pay the annual wages of ± 592 legionnaires.
Chapter 4 investigates the reasons and contexts of the coin issues. Subchapter 1 presents two coin types that can be connected with the celebration of homonoia between Gangra and Ankyra. Other coins linked with a particular historical event are issued in the name of Caracalla (a.d. 214) and Julia Domna (a.d. 209/210), depicting the mounted emperor on the reverse (p. 72). An almost identical depiction appears on the coins stuck in Amaseia in 205/206, Zela in 205/207, Sinope in 207 and Amisos in 216/217. This iconography is connected with the military expedition launched by Septimius Severus in 209 against the people of Northern Britain, which prompted several coin issues as well as the opening or reopening of mints in the whole empire. Thus, it has been suggested that the coin issues of Gangra-Germanicopolis may have served to satisfy military needs. The coin type representing an eagle between two signa, issued in at least a dozen mints in Northern Anatolia at the beginning of the third century, must have served as imperial propaganda. There is little evidence on the circulation of the coins of Gangra-Germanicopolis. Seven coins were excavated in the baths in Ancyra built under Caracalla, two pieces were found in Bulgaria (pp. 74–5 map 4). Subchapter 2, ‘Les mimétismes typologiques’, investigates the reverse images commonly used for other cities. Most overlaps are found with Ancyra followed by Tavium. Some coins imitate the reverse images used on the coins of Rome (pp. 76–80). In subchapter 3 the authors discuss the thesis of K. Kraft: two groups of mints, one around Amaseia, the other around Heracleia Pontica (map 6) delivered dies for coin issues of other cities in the region. However, despite close stylistic resemblances between the coins of Germanicopolis and Heracleia Pontica and Amaseia, B. and D. cannot identify any identical dies (p. 82).
Part 2, ‘L'image et le sens’, is divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 is about thirteen obverses showing imperial portraits of Septimius Severus, Julia Domna, Caracalla and Geta. The legends include the names of the emperors. Chapter 2 deals with nearly 50 types of reverse. They depict divinities of the local pantheon and symbols of Roman imperial ideology such as the eagle between two signa. Subchapter 1 is dedicated to the legends of the city's self-representations. A unique coin stuck in the name of Julia Domna (214) carries the unabbreviated legend ‘the most ancient city of Paphlagonia – hearth of the gods’. Apparently, this title is a reference to the old rank of Gangra as a royal residence.Footnote 1 The other title, ‘hearth of the gods’ – hence the sub-title of the book: ‘foyer des dieux’ – refers to the location of the city at the outskirts of Mount Olgassys, the highest mountain in the region, celebrated for its sanctuaries (pp. 93–4).
Subchapter 2 deals with the coins bearing on their reverses the representation of the city with towers and buildings as well as with the personifications of the rivers Halys, Xanthos and Podomixos, which flow through the city or in its vicinity (pp. 96–7). Subchapter 3 focuses on coins showing on their reverses the emperor either on a horse or in a quadriga along with victory symbols such as an eagle between two signa, tropaion or Nike as manifestations of loyalty to Rome. Representations on some coins of temples as well as gods such as Nemesis and Tyche also illustrate the close ties to the imperial family. Subchapter 4 concerns the depictions of deities from the pantheon of the city. They include conventional types of gods, Doidalsas’ Aphrodite, reposing Heracles, Zeus, Athena Enoplos, Athena Nikephoros, Apollon and Artemis, but also Serapis, Helios, Men, Asclepios and the snake god Glykon. Concerning the representation of an eagle with wings spread standing on a rock and holding prey in its claws on two coins, the authors suggest that it may have been related to the cult of Ma.
Chapter 3, ‘L'usage de la contremarque’, identifies only one case of a counter-stamped coin. Part 3 ends with a conclusion summarising the most important points of the preceding chapters. Part 4, ‘Les instruments de travail’, gathers the available sources other than coins, divided into two groups: written sources and inscriptions. The book includes a full bibliography, index, eighteen plates, numerous maps and graphics.
This book addresses a broad group of researchers interested in the history of Roman Asia Minor. B. and D. not only offer a useful complete catalogue of the coins issued by Gangra-Germanicopolis,Footnote 2 but also study the literary tradition and the epigraphic evidence. The fact that they do not ultimately manage to discover the reasons that led to such an ‘orgy of coinage’ during the early third century is not due to any shortcomings, but only shows the inherent problems in answering such a question convincingly with the information available. The book is a result of excellent scholarship and a significant contribution to Roman numismatics as well as to the history of Northern Anatolia.
