A Coin Hoard with Imitations of Philip III Arrhidaeus from the Village of Kapitan Dimitrovo, Dobrich District, Bulgaria

The National History Museum – Sofia stores 26 coins, a part of a coin hoard, which have been found near the village of Kapitan Dimitrovo, in the Dobrich district. The coins’ obverse features the head of Herakles, with lion skin, facing right. The reverse depicts Zeus seated on a throne to the left, with a scepter and eagle. The coins are imitations of the tetradrachms of Philip III Arrhidaeus. So far, 49 coin hoards containing imitations of Philip III Arrhidaeus have been found on the territory of present-day Bulgaria. The data obtained from the archaeological excavations is of fundamental importance for the dating of these coins. Until now, only imitation drachms have been found during the archaeological research. The discovery of coins – imitations of Philip III Arrhidaeus in hoards, along with other coins, is the second important factor in their dating. Fifteen coin hoards from Bulgaria have contained both imitations of coins of Philip III Arrhidaeus and other Hellenistic coins. In conclusion, it can be assumed that the dating of Philip III Arrhidaeus imitations should be set around 170–120 BC. The distribution area of this coinage was south of the Danube, and the issuer was the local tribe of the Getae. Yet, the purposes and functions of this coinage have not been confidently clarified, as well as the reason for their burial and non-recovery from the ground.