17/09/2021
The coin-age of Amorgos: NIKOURIA (and Arkesini and Minoa)
The people of Aigiali, the villages and Agios Pavlos produced coins in a small factory in Nikouria 2200 years ago. (picture)
September 2014 I talked to Vangelis - the captain of the boat going between Agios Pavlos and Nikouria) about this factory, and he told that there were some ruins/stone walls left - very close to the eastern part of Nikouria - right in the opposit/apenalty of Agios Pavlos peninsula beach in front of Dimitris' hotel and swimming pool.
A small number of silver coins were produced solely by the mint of Aigiali at the beginning of the 2nd century B.C. Whereas, in Hellenistic times, short-lived issues of bronzes were produced by Aigiale as well as Arkesine and Minoa at the end of the 3rd / beginning of the 2nd century B.C.
During the Imperial period, only Aigiali and Minoa minted coins. Both mints functioned during the reign of Caracalla, issuing a few bronzes for the emperor and his mother, Julia Domna. Minoa also struck coins during the reign of Elagabalus. Through the iconography of the coins we see that there was political connections between the Amorgian cities and great centres, such as Athens, Samos, Miletos, Rhodes and the Ptolemaic and Macedonian monarchies as well. It was determined that the numismatic activity of the cities was contemporary and that their production of coins probably coincided with the Rhodian domination of the Cycladic islands.
So; in bad economic periods like now - why not restart the production?
