bgr_577694 - THESSALY - LARISSA Drachme

THESSALIE - LARISSA

(400-344 BC)

Larissa, the most important city of Thessaly, takes its name from one of the daughters of the legendary king Pelasgos. Built on the right bank of Peneios, the city was famous for its horse farms and Thessalos, eponymous hero of the region, rose wild bulls. When Philip II of Macedonia invaded Thessaly in 353 BC, there installation of democratic governments in the protection of Macedonian garrisons responsible to maintain order. He created four districts at the head of which he placed tetrarchs, Simos being the district of Larissa. This organization lasted only eight years since, in 344 BC, Philip II again invaded Thessaly, hunting Simos and incorporates the whole province in the kingdom of Macedonia, ending the mint. For the coinage of Larissa, there are three studies: the article by F. Hermann von Die Silbermünzen Larissa in Thessaly, ZfN. 35 (1925), Article TR Martin, The Chronology of the fourth century BC, Facing Head Silver Coinage of Larissa, MN. 28, 1983 and the article by C. Lorber, The Early Head Facing drachms of Thessalian Larissa, in Florilegium Numismaticum, Studia in Honorem U. Westermark, Stockholm 1992.