(30) Athens, Attica (Greece) - AR tetradrachm, c. 450-440
B.C., 17.19 g. (inv. 91.069).
Obverse: Archaistic head of Athena r., wearing helmet with
laurel leaves.
Reverse: Owl; olive leaves, berry, waning moon in upper
l.; 
: Athens abbreviated.
Provenance: Edward Gans, 1959.
Bibliography: C.M. Kraay, Archaic and Classical Greek
Coins (Berkeley and Los Angeles 1976) 63-77, pl. 11.
Athenian coinage, which began relatively early, at 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, although a number of other explanations
for the different types have now been put forward. 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, approximately 75 years 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.
P.A.M.
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Lawrence University
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