Collecting Ancient Athenian Coins | A Crafts Hobbies Article

Main Article Categories

"Crafts Hobbies" Article
Article Directory Home

Collecting Ancient Athenian Coins By Expert Author: Terry Kubiak
View Summary \| Submitted: 2007-03-25 \| Word Count: 529 words

Coins issued by certain cities or empires took the leading role in dictating which coins were readily acceptable for trade in the Mediterranean lands. One such city was Athens, which established the "Attic standard" that was to be adopted later by Alexander the Great. Silver was used to pay civil servants, soldiers and mercenaries, and it is believed that the latter is the reason that many Greek silver coins were struck in the first place.

The non-Greek lands of the Near East issued large quantities of silver coins, most notably the Parthians, Sassanians and Baktrians. These coins vary in style and fabric, the thickness and purity of the planchet on which the coin was struck, and are relatively under valued compared to the more widely collected issues of Greece proper.

In Greek mythology, Athena was the goddess of warfare and wisdom. Later known as Minerva by the Romans, she was the goddess of not only wisdom and battle, but of certain crafts and the protector of all cities and states. At birth, according to one myth, she sprang from the forehead of Zeus, the king of the gods, fully grown and dressed in armor. Athena is usually shown wearing a helmet and a magic shield called the aegis. The goddess Athena was not only wise in war but also in the arts of peace. She supposedly invented the plow and taught men how to yoke oxen. Athena's chief symbol was the owl and in Greek mythology, the owl is firmly linked with Athena who is usually picture with her owl perched on her shoulder. Some say that is why the owl, in modern times, associated with wisdom.

Athenian coins were used in exchange throughout the Greek world, hoards have been found as far away from Athens as Babylon, Afghanistan and Iran. The quantity of Athenian coins minted in last half of the fifth century BC, reflect the changed and powerful position of Athens in the eastern Mediterranean, from a small city-state defending itself on land against the onslaught of Darius at Marathon, Athens grew to be the center of an empire whose power was dependent on its control of the sea. From being a partner in and administrative head of the Delian League, Athens became its leader and its many city-state members paid Athens tribute.

Huge sums must have been necessary for the commercial activities of Athens port city, Piraeus, construction atop the Acropolis and in the city, financing of the Athenian fleet, and perennial warfare. The money was derived not only from annual tribute received from the Delian League city-states, but from rich silver deposits Athens owned and mined at Laurium, close to Cape Sunium as well. The mines provide the silver that paid for construction of the fleet that destroyed the Persians at Salamis in 479 BC.

Common to all issues of the coin are the goddess Athena, in profile on the obverse, and the owl, her constant companion, standing on the reverse, a sprig of olive leaves with a berry above its shoulder. Variations in design exist among denominations of the coin.

About the Author/Author Bio

Ancient coins can be purchased at our online antiquities store
www.worldwidestore.com/AScomputerM7.htm

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Collecting-Ancient-Athenian-Coins/80460

Article Tags: home and family, crafts hobbies, collecting, ancient, athenian coins, anqituities, coins, empires, athens, silver, greek silver coins, silver coins, coin was struck, collected, greece

Comments on this Article

More "Crafts Hobbies" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Crafts Hobbies" article category.

People interested in the above article "Collecting Ancient Athenian Coins" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

Creating A Flower Basket

How to create flowers: We are quilting flowers. On the left side of your fabric, you will have invented pink squares. You can trace your pattern to start your project. Trace at least one flower (Choice), use your outside solid lines, and repeat your steps to create the foliage, or leaves. Use the variety of green patterns and use the yellow narrow pieces to create the center of your flower.

Preserving Cut Flowers

As much as we adore receiving a bouquet of flowers, we would love to enjoy these blossoms for a long time. We may not avoid fresh flowers from wilting but we can definitely prolong their vase life. This article shares some tips on how to extend the shelf life of a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers.

Great Deal or Ripoff? Can You Tell The Difference?

The term autograph refers to a person's signature and is usually used in particular for the practice of collecting autographs of celebrities which is known as philography. While an individual's writing style does change throughout the life of a person, the degree of change may vary greatly. The signatures of Washington and Lincoln changed only slightly during their adult lives, while John F. Kennedy's signature was different virtually every time he signed.

Wood Model Ships - Developing Skills through Craft

If you think that wood model ships are basically just exquisitely detailed versions of real ships, think again. You don’t really think that when a ship is destroyed in a film or movie that the film producers actually destroy a full size ship do you? Well, not all the time. Enter one fascinating need for wood model ships. Wood model ship building is alive and well among hobbyist and architectural professionals alike.

Scrapbooking: Cherish The Memories Once Again

A widely known hobby, scrapbooking is today an interesting activity with about 25 million people. There is more to scissors, glue and other material and this includes the sheer sense of fun which one derives from the hobby. In a nutshell, the activity lets the mind move towards the deep recesses of relaxation and picture perfect memories.

Origami for Beginners

Origami can be simply defined as an art in which paper (generally square is shape) is folded in order to make it look like varied recognizable objects. Neither scissors, nor glue and nor tape are used in origami. Origami is all about following basic instructions, being precise in folding and continuously pressing your finger along folds to make them crisp and your final product look well finished.

Craft Projects With Mat Board

If you are a crafter, you will be pleased to know that discount mat board makes a wonderful material for many different types of craft projects. Large and small scrap pieces of matboard are all reusable for craft-type applications. Photo mat board can be used as a beautiful liner material for drawers or the insides of boxes that can be decorated for storage. You can match the colors of your comforter, wall colors, or other accessories in the room to the mat board color.

Print Article

Comment on Article

Favorite Article

Email to Friend

Republish Article

Article Directory Home

Home And Family

Crafts Hobbies

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!

(Search in 26 languages: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Arabic, Italian, German,
Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Greek, Serbian
Slovak, Hebrew, Swedish, Romanian, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian)

(We serve worldwide - Locations updated as at Saturday, 22 November 2008 03:09 pm , Singapore)

United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . Côte d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . São Tom?& Príncipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe

Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Template Design by Internet Marketing Singapore | Internet Marketing | Singapore Classified