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55: Macedonia, Tetradrachm

A tetradrachm of Philip V, probably minted 215-210 BC. Also made by a great artist who could, in this period, cut such a beard, an expressive mouth and impressive nose. In 197, Philipp V was defeated by the Roman Praetor Quinctius Flamininus at Kynoskephalae, at the so-called "dog-head." The battle began a process which resulted in the permanent loss of autonomy for Greece. It became a Roman province, which, as I always say, was probably not the worst thing that could have happened. The province was well administrated, the economy boomed, people lived under Roman rule and were not enslaved. In this context, one can understand why many historians speak of a liberation of Greece.