|
HOME :
Greek Coins :
Athenian Coins : Athenian Silver Tetradrachm
|
 |
|
|
|
Athenian Silver Tetradrachm - LC.236
Origin: City of Athens
Circa: 449
BC
to 413
BC
Weight: 17.2Grams
Collection: Numismatics
Medium: Silver
£3,300.00
Location: Great Britain
|
|
|
| Photo Gallery |
|
|
| Description |
Obverse: Helmeted Head of the Goddess
Athena
Reverse: Owl Standing Right with Olive Sprig
and
Crescent Moon Above
Athenian coinage first consisted of coins now
known by the German term
Wappenmünzen or "heraldic coins,"
because they depicted a wide range of types
once thought to be emblems of powerful
Athenian families. These coins, which were
not
issued in large numbers and which rarely
circulated outside Attica, were replaced toward
the end of the sixth century B.C. by a new
type of
coinage, consisting primarily of tetradrachms,
which became the most authoritative coinage
of
Classical Greece. In contrast to the constantly
changing types of the
Wappenmünzen,
the new coins consistently depicted Athena,
the
patron goddess of Athens, on the obverse and
her attribute the owl, a sprig of olive, and a
crescent moon on the reverse. Popularly
known
as "owls," they were also clearly marked as
Athenian, probably because they, unlike the
Wappenmünzen, were intended for
wide
circulation. The owls were soon issued in very
large numbers, thanks to the exploitation of
Athens' rich silver mines at Laurion. By the
time
this tetradrachm was issued, almost a century
had elapsed since the first owls were produced,
yet the style of the types had changed very
little,
probably so that the consistent, unchanging
nature of the issues ensured continued
acceptance in foreign markets. This owl comes
from the High Classical period, yet the head of
Athena, with its frontal eye, patterned hair,
and
"archaic" smile, is archaic. These very features
render fifth-century owls somewhat difficult to
date, but slight changes over time allow them
to
be dated stylistically.
- (LC.236)
|
| |
|
