Ballaios (Ancient Greek: Βαλλαῖος; ruled c. 260 – c. 230 BC)[1] was an Illyrian king of the Ardiaeitribe. Attested only in coinage, Ballaios is considered as the predecessor of Agron.[2] He is considered to have been a powerful and influential king as testified by the abundance of his silver and bronze coinage found along both coasts of the Adriatic.[3] A hoard found in 2010 is one of the biggest hoards of ancient coins known, not only from Illyria.[4] The capital of Ballaios' kingdom was Rhizon.[5]
His silver issues are rare, but bronze coins,[6] without the royal title, occur on Hvar, both in single finds and in hoards, and at Rhizon in a different series bearing the royal title. In the city of Ulcinj there is still a fully functioning water source bearing his name: "Kroni i Ballos". The coins of Ballaios were widely imitated in the region, sometimes so crudely that they are unintelligible.
Reign
Hypothtical territory of the Ardiaean Kingdom under the reign of Ballaios.
Prior to the recent excavations carried out in the 2010s, archaeologist Arthur Evans dated Ballaios' coinage c. between 167 BC and 135 BC, in the period between the fall of Macedon and the expedition by the consul Servius Fulvius Flaccus against the Illyrians. J. M. F. May (1930s) dated it c. between 195/190 BC and 175 BC, which was followed by G. Gorini (1991),[7] and Šašel Kos (2007).[1]
After the recent excavations, the archaeological contexts of the coin hoards of Ballaios found in the 2010s indicate an earlier period. Archaeological investigations conducted in the area of Rhizon have revealed that Ballaios was in power and minted coins in the period between c. 260 and 230 BC, providing a clear dating for his reign.[1][8][9]
Coinage
Coins of King Ballaios
Bronze coin of King Ballaios. Head of Ballaios. Rv.Artemis holding torch, inscription: ΒΑΛΛΑΙΟΥ (of Ballaios).
A. Mint locations. B. Locations where coins of king Ballaios were uncovered.
Ballaios minted coins in his own name. His coins with the long legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΒΑΛΛΑΙΟΥ (BASILEOS BALLAIOY) were minted in Rhizon while the coins with the short legend ΒΑΛΛΑΙΟΥ and the head of the king Ballaios which is of a different type and are older, were minted in Pharos. In some cases it is possible to observe that Ballaios' coins were over struck on the older Pharos specimens. The distribution of his coinage indicates that they were concentrated in the central Dalmatian area, while the large number of different dies that have been identified to date indicates a long minting of his coins. Numismatic evidence shows that Ballaios reigned for quite a lengthy time. His coins are also frequently found in Italy, which confirms the trade contacts between both Adriatic coasts.
On the obverse of the coins a bust of the king facing left to right is depicted, while on the reverse Artemis, advancing or standing, is represented with or without a torch, sometimes carrying one or two spears, surrounded by either the long or short legend.[10] Most of these coins are bronze, some, and always those with the long legend are silver. Their weight, c. 3.5g corresponds top the Roman victorium. It is significant the Ballaios also had silver coins minted, which indicates his wealth and power, since elsewhere in Hellenistic Dalmatia silver coinage is very rarely documented from Greek/Illyrian mints. The weight of the bronze coins of Ballaios is between 1.0 and 4.5g, while most of the documented specimens weigh between 2.0 and 2.5g. The relatively great impact of the coinage of Ballaios is also indicated by a large number of imitations of his coins.[11] In several instances on some coins, an embossed circular Illyrian shield on one side and the flying horse Pegasus, a mythological creature, and the letter "B", "A" and "L" on the other side, are depicted.
Ballaios' coins were in circulation in the regions along both Adriatic coasts; along the eastern Adriatic, they have been found in a broad area extending from Phoenice in Epirus to Shkodër, in present-day Albania, to Pharos, and along the western Adriatic from Leuca and Locri to Aquileia, indicating trade activity of Ballaios that was no longer controlled by Issa.[12] As expected the coins of Ballaios were also found in the broad area of Narona, the most important Greek/Illyrian emporium which maintained along with the river Neretva, commercial and other contacts with the interior regions or Illyricum.
^ abcdBilić 2020, p. 15: "During the last decade, the archaeological investigations conducted in the area of Rhizon on the Boka Kotorska Bay have revealed that Ballaios was in power and minted coins ca. 260–230 BC (Ciołek 2011: 92). This has finally put an end to the seemingly endless discussions on the dating of Ballaios' reign; prior to the Rhizon excavations, the closest that the researchers came to the actual date of his rule was 195–175 BC (Šašel Kos 2007: 127–131, 137)."
^Ciołek 2010, p. 8: "The "great hoard" discovered in 2010, while not the first from Risan, is definitely the largest — 4656 pieces, weighing altogether close to 15 kilograms.7 As a matter of fact, it is one of the biggest hoards of ancient coins known, not only from Illyria.8 The overall number of coins of Ballaios now in existence suggests a greater than previously anticipated importance of this king and Rhizon under his rule, especially in the context of the history of the Illyrian state and the tribes related to the Illyrians."
^Dyczek 2019, p. 431: "However, the archaeological contexts of the coin hoards of Ballaios found by us rather indicate an earlier period. From the stratigraphic point of view the year 229/228 BC – end of the First Illyrian War – was an unquestionable terminus ante quem, because the rubbish layers covering the pits with coin hoards were created at the end of that war. Radiocarbon dating provided an absolute date in the ranges from 270 to 210 BC. Two stray coins of Epidamnos (Dyrrachion) from 300–229 BC apparently confirmed this dating. The pot containing the great hoard was an ordinary Hellenistic jar (hydria) of presumed Attic provenance that can be dated to the end of the third and/or turn of the third century BC. Thus the deposition context of the hoards was clear, and radiocarbon dating coupled with pottery data leave little doubt that the coins were concealed during an attack on Rhizon at the end of the third century BC. The discoveries left no doubt that Ballaios must have ruled before 229 BC. Some of the ceramic sherds found with coins of Ballaios gave a similarly early dating around the middle of the third century BC... it already appears to be fairly evident on archaeological grounds that Ballaios ruled sometime between 260/250 and approximately 230 BC."
^Ujes Morgan 2010, p. 118: "The characteristics of this coinage, such as its style, bearing the royal title, the presence of issues in silver as well as in bronze, and its spread on both sides of the Adriatic Sea indicate that it should rather be dated during the period of the greatest Illyrian power, some time in the second half of the 3rd century B.C. 18, and the pottery finds from the excavations seem to corroborate this proposal.
Cabanes, Pierre (1988). Les illyriens de Bardulis à Genthios (IVe–IIe siècles avant J.-C.) [The Illyrians from Bardylis to Gentius (4th – 2nd century BC)] (in French). Paris: SEDES. ISBN2718138416.
Dyczek, Piotr (2020). "Rhizon – capital of the Illyrian kingdom – some remarks". In Krzysztof Jakubiak; Adam Lajtar (eds.). Ex Oriente Lux. Studies in Honour of Jolanta Młynarczyk. Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. pp. 423–433.
