Monunius
Encyclopedia
Monunius was an Illyrian king of the Dardanian State. As a figure, Monunius has left more archaeological traces than historical ones. Monunius was a strong opponent of Macedonia but offered aid of 10,000 soldiers to Ptolemy
during the Gallic Invasions, which was refused. The Dardanian State headed under Monunius ranked among the strongest in the Balkansat that time. The invasions of the Gauls through the Balkans
did not effect the Dardanians as much as the Macedonians while they even whipped out a few of their forces when they return northwards.
In 281 BC Monunius entered into an alliance with Pyrrhus
. Their joint interests against a strong Macedonia had induced Pyrrhus to accept as his ally Monunius. He is the first Illyrian to have struck his own silver coins after probably gaining control over the Taulantii State and the Greek colonies on the coast. The king was buried in the Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme
in the city of Pelion. A helmet with an inscription in Greek letters found in modern Ohrid
and silver coins bearing both the king's and Macedonian symbols indicates the inspirations of the Monunius for Macedonia, perhaps in the time of confusion following the Gallic invasions. After the death of Ptolemy's death, Monunius might have taken the Macedonian throne for a brief period.
Many Dardanian rulers of the same age were named Monunius and there seems to be some confusion as to whom certain actions and events pertain. It is not known whether the same king struck coins in Durrës and offered military aid to the Macedons. The hypothesis is doubtful because silver coins minted by Monunius bear only the symbols of Durrës and Appolonia, and they have been never found away from the coastal lowlands. However nowadays many attribute these events to the same king. The name of the Dardanian king who offered Macedonia help against the Celts is not known but some have connected him with the Monunius who struck coins in Durrës
.
, according to Diodorus and Pausanias, they moved in three directions: toward Macedonia and Illyria
, toward Greece
, and toward Thrace
. The main army consisted of 150,000 foot soldiers equipped with great shield and 10,000 horsemen, was followed by 2,000 wagons transporting food and equipment. All the states of the Balkans
looked at this Gallic movement with great apprehension, but Ptolemy
, the king of Macedonia, took the news of the approach of the Gauls
casually. In 279 BC Monunius offered the young king military aid against the Gauls. Ptolemy looked down with derision on the proposal of the Dardanians, who sent delegates to say that they could offer 20,000 warriors to assist him. In an insulting manner, he said that the work was for the Macedonians to do and that they who had subjugated all the east, had no need for the Dardanians to protect their borders. Monunius allied with Thrace
, had waged a war against Ptolemy for the Macedonian throne short time before the invasion of the Gauls while the true political reason why the alliance was rejected is not known. When Monunius was told of this, he replied that the soon glorious Macedonian kingdom would fall because of the immaturity of a youth.
The battle that took place only a few days later resulted in the Macedonian army being routed and the king himself wounded and taken prisoner by the Gauls. The Gauls then made their way south towards the Delphi
. Chichorus the commander of the Gauls decided to take them back to their own country along the same route, where more battles awaited them. In the end they were all whiped out by Monunius's forces in the Dardanian State, through which they had to pass. Another variant of the return of the Gauls through the Dardanian State is that the Medii and the Dardanians made peace with the Gauls in return for a part of the stolen gold in the temples.
, the place where they were minted. The coins of Monunius differed only in having the jaw of the boar set over the cow, as a symbol of the royal Illyrian name. The mint also had the abbreviated name ΔYP (for Durrës) to donate the place where they were minted, as well as showing royal sovereignty over the city. These coins have been found in great numbers in the Illyrian city of Gurëzeza, and in the interior of modern day Albania
beyond the Greek colony of Apollonia.
in Dassaretia, near the present day village of Selca e Poshtme in Albania, in the old residence of the Illyrian kings. It has been claimed that the king was buried in the Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme
. The ten burials inside the royal tombs were laden with bodies and urns accompanied by a great number of objects, belonging to a second burial period, after the royal grave was robbed in the last decades of the third century BC. Seemingly, the robbery made it impossible to tie the grave to a specific historical person.However, two reliefs decorating the sides of the grave's facade might serve to identify him. They show a shield of the Illyrian type and a helmet of the Hellenistic rulers. The former indicates a local king, while the latter is in complete conformity with a bronze helmet found in the region of Lake Ohrid
during the First World War, now kept at the Antike Sammlung Museum in Berlin
. On the back of the helmet, in calligraphy virtually identical to that on the coins of King Monunius, the same words are written: Basileos Monouniou. It cannot be said with certainty whether the helmet was part of the first inventory, looted or taken out of a grave in Pelion, but it is surely evidence that the Dardanian State of Monunius extended as far as the Lyncestian Lakes. From here Monunius could have intervened in the quarrel about the Macedonian throne, eventually turning into a claimant or it. This is surely the meaning of the minting of a second series of silver coins bearing his name and traditional Macedonian symbols, the head of Heracles
on the face and on the reverse, Olympian Zeus
, sitting on the throne. That this was a short lived dream of the Dardanian king is shown by the fact that so few coins were minted, so much so that only one specimen is preserved today. Although after the smoke had cleared in the aftermath of Ptolemy's death, Monunius may have held Macedon for a brief period.
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
during the Gallic Invasions, which was refused. The Dardanian State headed under Monunius ranked among the strongest in the Balkansat that time. The invasions of the Gauls through the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
did not effect the Dardanians as much as the Macedonians while they even whipped out a few of their forces when they return northwards.
In 281 BC Monunius entered into an alliance with Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus or Pyrrhos or Pyrros may refer to the following figures from Greek history and mythology:* Pyrrhus or Neoptolemus, son of Achilles* Pyrrhus of Epirus , famous king, to whom the term Pyrrhic victory alludes...
. Their joint interests against a strong Macedonia had induced Pyrrhus to accept as his ally Monunius. He is the first Illyrian to have struck his own silver coins after probably gaining control over the Taulantii State and the Greek colonies on the coast. The king was buried in the Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme
Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme
The Illyrian Tombs of Selca e Poshtme are located near the town of Pogradec in Albania near the village of Selcë e Poshtme.On the right bank of the river Shkumbin at an elevation of 1040 m above sea level, lie the remains of the ancient city of Pelion and the accompanying necropolis...
in the city of Pelion. A helmet with an inscription in Greek letters found in modern Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
and silver coins bearing both the king's and Macedonian symbols indicates the inspirations of the Monunius for Macedonia, perhaps in the time of confusion following the Gallic invasions. After the death of Ptolemy's death, Monunius might have taken the Macedonian throne for a brief period.
Many Dardanian rulers of the same age were named Monunius and there seems to be some confusion as to whom certain actions and events pertain. It is not known whether the same king struck coins in Durrës and offered military aid to the Macedons. The hypothesis is doubtful because silver coins minted by Monunius bear only the symbols of Durrës and Appolonia, and they have been never found away from the coastal lowlands. However nowadays many attribute these events to the same king. The name of the Dardanian king who offered Macedonia help against the Celts is not known but some have connected him with the Monunius who struck coins in Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
.
Gallic Invasions
During the fourth century BC, a Gallic population had settled in Pannonia, in the territory of present Hungry. Many Illyrians tribes had been subdued. About 280 BC280 BC
Year 280 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Laevinus and Coruncanius...
, according to Diodorus and Pausanias, they moved in three directions: toward Macedonia and Illyria
Illyria
In classical antiquity, Illyria was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the Illyrians....
, toward Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and toward Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. The main army consisted of 150,000 foot soldiers equipped with great shield and 10,000 horsemen, was followed by 2,000 wagons transporting food and equipment. All the states of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
looked at this Gallic movement with great apprehension, but Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, the king of Macedonia, took the news of the approach of the Gauls
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
casually. In 279 BC Monunius offered the young king military aid against the Gauls. Ptolemy looked down with derision on the proposal of the Dardanians, who sent delegates to say that they could offer 20,000 warriors to assist him. In an insulting manner, he said that the work was for the Macedonians to do and that they who had subjugated all the east, had no need for the Dardanians to protect their borders. Monunius allied with Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, had waged a war against Ptolemy for the Macedonian throne short time before the invasion of the Gauls while the true political reason why the alliance was rejected is not known. When Monunius was told of this, he replied that the soon glorious Macedonian kingdom would fall because of the immaturity of a youth.
The battle that took place only a few days later resulted in the Macedonian army being routed and the king himself wounded and taken prisoner by the Gauls. The Gauls then made their way south towards the Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
. Chichorus the commander of the Gauls decided to take them back to their own country along the same route, where more battles awaited them. In the end they were all whiped out by Monunius's forces in the Dardanian State, through which they had to pass. Another variant of the return of the Gauls through the Dardanian State is that the Medii and the Dardanians made peace with the Gauls in return for a part of the stolen gold in the temples.
Minting of coins
In 280 BC, Monunius gained control of the Taulantii State. Even though Illyrians had minted coins well before the 3rd century BC, Monunius is the first Illyrian king to issue his own coins in 280 BC. Monunius's mint of silver coinage brought an important financial resource under state control. The royal staters, with the legend 'Basileos Monuniou' (of King Monunius), were a copy of the coins of DurrësDurrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
, the place where they were minted. The coins of Monunius differed only in having the jaw of the boar set over the cow, as a symbol of the royal Illyrian name. The mint also had the abbreviated name ΔYP (for Durrës) to donate the place where they were minted, as well as showing royal sovereignty over the city. These coins have been found in great numbers in the Illyrian city of Gurëzeza, and in the interior of modern day Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
beyond the Greek colony of Apollonia.
Royal Tombs of Selcë e Poshtme
Monunius's second main centre might have been the ancient city of PelionPelion
Pelion or Pelium is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea...
in Dassaretia, near the present day village of Selca e Poshtme in Albania, in the old residence of the Illyrian kings. It has been claimed that the king was buried in the Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme
Royal Tombs of Selca e Poshtme
The Illyrian Tombs of Selca e Poshtme are located near the town of Pogradec in Albania near the village of Selcë e Poshtme.On the right bank of the river Shkumbin at an elevation of 1040 m above sea level, lie the remains of the ancient city of Pelion and the accompanying necropolis...
. The ten burials inside the royal tombs were laden with bodies and urns accompanied by a great number of objects, belonging to a second burial period, after the royal grave was robbed in the last decades of the third century BC. Seemingly, the robbery made it impossible to tie the grave to a specific historical person.However, two reliefs decorating the sides of the grave's facade might serve to identify him. They show a shield of the Illyrian type and a helmet of the Hellenistic rulers. The former indicates a local king, while the latter is in complete conformity with a bronze helmet found in the region of Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance...
during the First World War, now kept at the Antike Sammlung Museum in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. On the back of the helmet, in calligraphy virtually identical to that on the coins of King Monunius, the same words are written: Basileos Monouniou. It cannot be said with certainty whether the helmet was part of the first inventory, looted or taken out of a grave in Pelion, but it is surely evidence that the Dardanian State of Monunius extended as far as the Lyncestian Lakes. From here Monunius could have intervened in the quarrel about the Macedonian throne, eventually turning into a claimant or it. This is surely the meaning of the minting of a second series of silver coins bearing his name and traditional Macedonian symbols, the head of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
on the face and on the reverse, Olympian Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, sitting on the throne. That this was a short lived dream of the Dardanian king is shown by the fact that so few coins were minted, so much so that only one specimen is preserved today. Although after the smoke had cleared in the aftermath of Ptolemy's death, Monunius may have held Macedon for a brief period.
See also
- Illyrian warfareIllyrian warfareThe history of Illyrian warfare spans from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC up to the 1st century AD in the region of Illyria and in southern Italy where the Iapygian civilization flourished....
- List of rulers of Illyria
- Illyrian coinageIllyrian coinageIllyrian coinage which began in the 6th century BC continued up to the 1st century of Roman occupation. It was the southern Illyrians who minted the first coins coins followed by the northern Illyrian during the Roman era. This was because of the influence from the Greek colonies in Illyria, such...
- Gallic invasion of the BalkansGallic invasion of the BalkansGallic groups, originating from the various La Tène chiefdoms, began a south-eastern movement into the Balkan peninsula from the 4th century BC. Although Celtic settlements were concentrated in the western half of the Carpathian basin, there were notable incursions, and settlements, within the...
- Royal Tombs of Selca e PoshtmeRoyal Tombs of Selca e PoshtmeThe Illyrian Tombs of Selca e Poshtme are located near the town of Pogradec in Albania near the village of Selcë e Poshtme.On the right bank of the river Shkumbin at an elevation of 1040 m above sea level, lie the remains of the ancient city of Pelion and the accompanying necropolis...
Sources
- The Illyrians to the Albanians - Neritan Ceka, 2005
- The Illyrians by J. J. Wilkes, 1992, ISBN 0-631-19807-5