purity of Attic silver money. However, this does not mean that false coins
were not accepted in other transactions. The existence of the regulations
strongly suggests that false coins circulated freely.^104 The wide dissemin-
ation of‘imitation’Thasian issues reflects the widespread acceptability of
the types, but does not tell us who made them. What matters is that they
were acceptable as a medium of exchange and the occurrence of such
coins in limited quantities, over a wide area, seems to be consistent with
such an interpretation.
Investigations at Krastevich, afifth- to fourth-centurybcsettlement
nestling in the foothills of the Sredna Gora mountains, has, in the space
of a few excavation seasons, produced surprising and unique features
that force us to rethink what was happening deep in the interior of
southern Europe. The investigations have focused in two locations, a
terrace above the River Pyasechnik (Pamuk Tepe), and a hilltop (Sekiz
Harman),c.1 km to the north-east, high above it. At Pamuk Tepe, and
in an areac.50 m by 90 m, a number of structures with rubble stone
foundations have been revealed, including two large multi-roomed
building complexes, at least one of which had very well-built outer
walls and inner staircases to an upperfloor level (Fig. 5.5). The overallFig. 5.5.Krastevich, near Strelcha, Bulgaria, plan of part of the town, showing
the storage complex (left).
(^104) Van Alfen 2005, 322–38, on Nikophon’s law in Athens (SEG 26.72) and imitations of
Attic coins; he distinguishes issues in terms of‘prototypes’,‘artistic imitations’,‘marked’
imitations (those with an obvious distinguishing mark or countermark); perfunctory
imitations, plated or debased coins and,finally, counterfeit coins. Most of these categories
can be identified in the east Balkans.
Regionalism and regional economies 235