Ancient Coin Stories

While I was reading Plutarch’s Life of Demetrios the other day, I noticed that Demetrios of Phaleron was dictator over Athens – having been installed there by Kassander – from 317-307 BCE, when he was deposed by Demetrios Poliorketes – the subject of Plutarch’s story. The obvious thought was – could a coin be assigned to that time?

Luckily, it didn’t take too much research to determine the answer was “yes”. Kroll discusses this specifically.

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So, now all I had to do was obtain Kroll 46 or maybe 44 or 45, no easy task when it comes to Athenian bronzes. (note: yes, I’m sure Kroll’s dating may be debated, but since his research bodes well for me, I’m accepting it). There are a few other types I’ve been waiting on for over a year now, so it would have to join the list.

However, as luck would have it, I’d picked up Kroll 46 just the week before when an intriguing bronze popped up and I grabbed it.

Demetrios of Phaleron was an interesting guy, a rare philosopher actually put into a leadership role. He studied under Theophrastos – famous today for his Characters – along with the famous playright Menander, who was the prime driver for new comedy (though personally I far prefer the old comedy of Aristophanes).

He played a major role in Athens even before Kassander installed him, having been on the more moderate and less anti-Macedonian side of Phokion. He wrote extensively and was often quoted by Plutarch and others, but otherwise all of his works have perished.

Even in ancient times, the efficacy of Demetrios of Phaleron’s rule was controversial. One example is from Strabo.

<Cassander, Demetrius was forced to flee to Egypt; and the statues of him, more than three hundred, were pulled down by the insurgents and melted, and some writers go on to say that they were made into chamber pots. >>

After being deposed by the other Demetrios, he fled to Ptolemy in Egypt, where according to Diogenes Laertius:

<Casander, being in fear of Antigonus, he fled to Ptolemy Soter. There he spent a considerable time and advised Ptolemy, among other things, to invest with sovereign power his children by Eurydice. To this Ptolemy would not agree, but bestowed the diadem on his son by Berenice, who, after Ptolemy’s death, thought fit to detain Demetrius as a prisoner in the country until some decision should be taken concerning him. There he lived in great dejection, and somehow, in his sleep, received an asp-bite on the hand which proved fatal.>>

Someday, when I visit Egypt, this may cause a bit of unrest for sleep.