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This land...

The coin collection of the Foundation of the Hellenic World is a representative selection of the coins of many areas of Asia Minor. For example, the province of Pisidia is represented by coins from all its cities except Apollonia-Mordiaeum, Palaeopolis and Panemoteichus. However, the collection does include very rare coins from the cities of Colbasa, Parlais and Sibidunda, which are not represented in some of the most important collections of Greek coins, for example that of the British Museum.

Except near the coast, Pisidia is a difficult and inaccessible region. The Taurus mountains were inhabited by an independent and isolated people, whose hellenisation began in the classical period. For this reason they started to mint coins earlier than the other Greek cities.

Selge was the first city of Pisidia to mint coins (c. 370 BC), followed by Etenna. In the Roman era, the urbanization of the region and the construction of the Common Road (êïéíÞ ïäüò), which was mainly used for troop movements, led to an increase in the output of coins which followed the Greek models. The coins depict Greek and local gods (often the god Men), nymphs and heroes (including the Dioscuri), buildings, representations of concepts, mythological scenes and other features.

 

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