The Cultural Identity of the “City of the Blind”. Roman Provincial Coinage in Calchedon / Tożsamość kulturowa „miasta ślepców”. Rzymskie mennictwo prowincjonalne Chalcedonu

Barbara Zając, National Museum in Krakow

ORCID: 0000-0003-4731-5782

The Cultural Identity of the “City of the Blind”. Roman Provincial Coinage in Calchedon

Abstract: In the Roman Empire, coins were struck by many different cities, featuring effigies related to local traditions and culture. In places where archaeological research is insufficient, coins become one of the most important sources of information about the life of the local community. In small centres, where coin production was irregular and less abundant, the amount of information available is even more limited. This is the case in Calchedon, now part of Istanbul, where coins are a valuable testimony to the history and culture of the city. Bronze coins were minted there from the time of the Republic until the reign of Gallienus (253–268). The images on well-known coins from the Roman period largely refer to the popular local cult of Apollo. In the 3rd century AD, there was greater diversity in the motifs. Alongside Apollo, we also see Hermes, Nemesis, Tyche, and Elpis on the coins. This text is an attempt to shed light on the cultural identity of this once small city in Bithynia.

Key words: Bithynia, Calchedon, Roman provincial coinage, Apollo

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52800/ajst.1.20.a3

Zając, B. 2025. “The Cultural Identity of the “City of the Blind”. Roman Provincial Coinage in Calchedon”, Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne 20: 45–66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52800/ajst.1.20.a3