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 drachm 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 archaistic. These very features
render fifth-century owls somewhat difficult to
date, but slight changes over time allow them to
be dated stylistically.
