Ancient Coin Stories

Thermopylae, the famed city where three hundred spartans held up the massive Persian army just long enough to send a script to Zack Snyder, did not mint any coins that we’re aware of. However, only eight kilometers away was the site of Herakleia Trachineia, which did, and had its own intriguing history.

Obviously named after Herakles, it was referred to as Herakleia in Trachineia to avoid copyright lawsuits from the myriad other Herakleias. It started as a Spartan colony, which was uncommon. Unfortunately for them, the majority of the surrounding people – Oetaeans, Boetians, and Thessalians, weren’t fond of Spartans, so the early days were rough.

Originally founded in 426 BCE, the city lasted all of six years before the an alliance of their enemies reduced it to rubble. The Spartans returned a few years later, and were again slaughtered. However, once Sparta defeated Athens in the widely televised Peloponnesian War, the city’s fortunes turned.

Well, sort of. In 399 BCE Herakleia Trachineia had the distinction of being the key Spartan city in northern Greece, but in 395 BCE it was overrun by the Thebans, who were concerned that misgovernance would cause it to fall under Athens. They gave it to the locals, who built the city up until Jason of Pherae came over and knocked down its walls, since – like Thermopylae, the site was of extreme military value. However, the city seemed to gain some prominence because it was after this act that they seem to have minted their first coins.

According to Justin, Antipater was barricated in the city in 323 BCE by the Athenians during the Lamian War. In 304 BCE, the city capitulated to Demetrios Poliorketes, who chased Kassander out of Athens up to there.

When the Gauls invaded Greece, they were stopped here by soldiers of Phokis, according to Pausanias, and in 279 BCE the Aetolians took over. They weren’t into the whole “Herakleia” vibe, so they renamed it to Oitaioi in homage to the mountain next to it. They also minted coinage similar to their own. It remained under Aetolian control for the next ninety years until the city decided to oppose the Romans, which did not fare well for them. Not much of the ancient city remains.