Drachma of Athens

A drachma from Athens, with Athena in profile wearing a helmet on the front and an owl in a recessed square on the back. There is an olive branch in the upper left corner of the square and the letters AΘE on the right. The front face of the coin is slightly skewed.

Athenian coins are different from those of other Greek cities. Usually, cities changed the style of their coins every few decades, but Athenian coins remained the same since the 6th century, despite the fact that their striking began under the tyranny started by Peisistratos. Although Athens moved to a democratic model of government after the end of the tyranny, the style of the coins was not changed. The coins remained the same until 164 BCE, when the influence of the Romans in Athens and the rest of the Greek peninsula increased.

Athena was the patron goddess of Athens. According to the myths, the city was named after Athena, who won a contest against Poseidon to be the patron of the city.

Athena’s victory was guaranteed by the olive tree she gave to the Athenians, which, thanks to the oil and fruits, proved to be more popular than the saltwater spring that Poseidon raised from the ground. This is why there is an olive branch on the back of the coin. The owl, on the other hand, is one of the animals most commonly associated with Athena. Also noteworthy is Athena’s helmet, which clearly differs from a Corinthian helmet. Since Corinth and Athens were often at war with each other because of their prominent position on the Greek mainland and their aspiration to ascend to hegemonic status, it is not surprising that the cities sought to create visually different versions of the same goddess.