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It is generally accepted that coinage functions as a transmission vehicle of political, economic, social and religious messages, possibly exerting an impact on the users. Some 43 Cretan cities which in the Classical and Hellenistic period issued coins with a rich iconographic repertoire and were in a constant conflict, affirmed their origin, ethnicity and religion, as well as their political identity and pride through their coins. On the other hand, the Cretan coinage may in some cases demonstrate the economic control of an authority in a particular area, through the use of common types, weight standards and denominations. The purpose of this paper is to study, with the contribution of written sources, this frequent phenomenon of the so-called "monetary alliances" between Cretan city-states.
