The Clain Stefanelli Lecture Fund of the American Numismatic Society, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Minting coins for trade, for war, or for cultic purposes: each of these possibilities (recalling Dumézil’s tripartite division of society) has its advocates. Although perhaps not the most impartial commentator on the subject—having long argued for the close connection between coinage and military needs—this paper proposes to offer a general overview. On the one hand, it reviews the arguments supporting the view that, in terms of monetary volume, military expenditures were the primary driver of coin production.