The beginning of the coinage of Paros: some chronological, economics and iconographic questions

Many aspects of the coinage of the island of Paros, between the end of the sixth and the beginning of the fifth century BC, are considered problematic by numismatists. First of all, the relative and absolute chronology of the various series must be clarified, and the termini post and ante quem of the coinage must be proposed. The relative bibliography seems to be quite old, and it does not offer to the scholars the solution to various issues related to coinage. In addition, the question of the economic characteristics of the series remains open, in order to understand the motivations that led Paros to coin the money. The numismatic solution of this problem is found in the study of the distribution of the coins of Paros and in the weight analysis of the specimens, as well as in a classification related to all the coinages of the Cycladic islands. A final argument to discuss is the iconographic explanation of coins, with related religious cults, in order to understand the message that the types of money communicated to users, both fellow citizens and foreigners.