Hellenistic coinage skin#

In the fourth century BC, the Athenians believed that this trade weight had been invented by the lawgiver Solon in 594 BC, but epigraphic evidence shows that it did not exist before around 500 BC. During the fifth century BC, this became the main weight used in commerce in the Aegean basin and it was also enforced throughout the Athenian empire by the Athenian coinage decree. For the weight of other objects a separate Attic 'trade weight' was used, with a mina of 105 drachmae (457 g) – 5% higher than the monetary weight. The Attic weight was used only for monetary sums of silver. The decline can also be seen at other mints. The Seleucid mint at Antioch shows a continuing process of declining weight. In 300 BC it had slightly reduced in weight, to 17.20 g. At the time of Alexander the Great, the Attic tetradrachm weighed 17.28 g of silver. ĭuring the 300 years of the Hellenistic period the Attic weight slowly declined, as mints reduced the weight of newly minted coins to match the weight of the worn coins that were already in circulation. The island of Rhodes maintained its own Rhodian standard, supported by their role as a commercial hub for the trade in wine and Egyptian grain. Ptolemaic Egypt, used a lighter weight standard.

In the Hellenistic period, most kingdoms minted on the standard and the majority of the local weight standards that had existed in earlier times went out of use. an up-to-date introduction to Hellenistic gold, silver and bronze coins in. The Macedonian Empire's adoption of the Attic weight reinforced its status as the standard weight for trade throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Coinage is one of our key sources for the rich and fascinating history of the. Alexander the Great also minted on the Attic standard during his reign. Philip II of Macedon adopted Attic standard for his kingdom. Finally, the Athenian empire may have enforced the use of the Attic weight standard through the Athenian coinage decree. Secondly, the Athenian demand for grain was met by sending large quantities of Athenian coinage to major grain producing regions in Sicily, Egypt, and the Levant. Firstly, the Athenian silver mines at Laurion were the main source of silver in the Aegean. Īthenian coinage (and its weight standard) became one of the most important standards in the Aegean region in the Classical period, for a number of reasons. Because of Euboea's role in Greek colonisation in the Archaic period, the latter standard was widespread in the Greek West and Pontic regions. In practice, this meant that the Attic weight standard was interchangeable with the Euboic standard used on the island of Euboea, which consisted of a stater of 17.2 g divided into six hektai of 2.86 g.

For larger sums, the units of account were the mina (100 drachmae or 435 g), and the talent (6,000 drachmae or 26.1 kg). The Attic weight was based on a drachma of 4.31 grams, but in practice the main denomination was the tetradrachm or four-drachma coin, which weighed approximately 17.26 g in silver. As a result of its use in the coinage of the Athenian empire and the empire of Alexander the Great, it was the dominant weight standard for coinage issued in the Eastern Mediterranean from the fifth century BC until the introduction of the Roman denarius to the region in the late first century BC. The coin type lent an element of political and economic reliability to the ruler and facilitated the hiring of mercenary forces, who had long been accustomed to receiving pay in coins of this type.Posthumous tetradrachm of Alexander the Great, minted on the Attic weight at Amphipolis, 315–294 BC.Īttic weight, or the Attic standard, also known as Euboic standard, was one of the main monetary standards in ancient Greece. Further, this particular representation of Heracles was especially popular among rulers striving to assert their claims to the throne, including usurpers, because of its familiarity. The portrait's popularity can be attributed to the hero's own associations with royal authority, his widespread appeal, and his ability to blend with the regional and local traditions of Hellenistic subjects within and outside of the Greek world. This article argues for the symbolic and economic value of Heracles' portrait in its own right. Though this coin type is often interpreted as serving legitimizing purposes by connecting Hellenistic rulers to Alexander the Great, who popularized this type, such explanations are problematic for understanding the portrait's appearance in places like Sparta and Carthage, who had less to gain from evoking the memory of Alexander.

Hellenistic coinage skin#

The portrait of a young Heracles wearing the lion skin was a familiar sight on Hellenistic coins.