COIN AS A MEANS OF PROPAGANDA (ACCORDING TO GEORGIAN NUMISMATICS)

Abstract

Everywhere coin facilitated exchange of goods. It was employed also for different propaganda. Georgians did the same as seen in the monetary groups and types as follows: municipal copper coins of Trapezus with the effigy of Mithras, Georgian-Sassanian drachms, Georgian-Byzantine coins, coins of Giorgi III – king with falcon on hand.Only Georgian (Iberian) imitations to Roman coins are struck on the territory of Colchis/Lazica and Kartli/Iberia in late Antiquity. However, there was one place populated by West Georgian people – namely, Trapezus, which issued municipal copper coins in the 2nd-3rd cc. Name of Roman Emperor is on obverse, while the name of community – on reverse.We lack the written sources about the political, as well as cultural and religious history of Trapezus of the 2nd-3rd cc. That is why scholars pay much attention to the artefacts, including the coins. From this point of view, a hoard of municipal copper coins of Trapezus dated back to the 2nd-3rd cc. A.D. and found during Bichvinta (Western Georgia) archaeological excavations in 1958 is of special importance. The hoard seems to be placed in a purse, since fragments of textiles are discovered on coins.Before Bichvinta excavations, municipal copper coins of Trapezus had not been found outside the city. Based on this, some scholars insisted on the fact that Trapezus did not have independent trade and economic policy and its coins were only of local importance.Archaeological excavations of Bichvinta and in Sokhumi (Western Georgia) in 1959 rejected this thesis. The fact is that, not only the hoard was found there – discovery of a single coins of Trapezus became common in these places. This fact is of great importance not only for economic history of the city, but for the study of its political status.Bichvinta hoard contained 149 coins. Ten of them are silver coins, while 139 are the 2nd-3rd cc. municipal copper coins of Trapezus. The latest coin of the hoard belongs to Philip Junior (244/247-249) and is dated back to 244/245, so the hoard was deposited after 244/245.Before Bichvinta and Sokhumi discoveries coins of Trapezus were something of a rarity.If we take into account findings in Bichvinta and Sokhumi, all information in literature about the coins, also samples and imprints kept in different museums and private collections, we will find out that 340-350 samples of municipal copper coins of Trapezus are found up today. About 230 out of them are found in Bichvinta (numbers cannot be absolutely precise). Mithras, the god of the Sun and light, is portrayed on the reverse of 210-220 coins out of 340-350 samples, Tyche – on 50-55 samples, Dionysus – on 17 samples, Serapis – on 12 samples, Abundantia – on 12 samples, Apollo – on 6 samples, Hermes – on 2 samples, Hercules – on 1 sample, Rhea Cybele – on 1 sample, Pales – on 1 sample.