Category: Classical Period
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The Gorgoneion – A Symbol of Medusa
There was an association between the gorgoneion (which simply means the head of a gorgon) and magic, even protection, which is why we see it often placed on shields. To backtrack, a gorgon is a hideous female figure with terrifying eyes and snakes for hair, that had the power to turn humans to stone. Sound…
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A Second, Smaller City of Argos
Unfortunately for us, this second Argos appears very little in the historical record. The only detailed account of the city’s history occurs during the Peloponnesian War and is recounted to us by the great historian of that conflict, Thuycididies. An Athenian, the historian was impressively unbiased but nevertheless keen to recount the events that occurred…
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A Goat-Head Hecte of Phocaea
Not many ancient coins depict goats, with most of the goat coins emanating from the region of Thrace (now northeastern Greece & southern Bulgaria), a mountainous climate where goats thrived. Around the same time as this hecte (5th century BC), the city of Aenus struck coins in all denominations with a head of Hermes on the…
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Plato and the Tyrant: A Failed Experiment with Fiat Money in Syracuse, 400 BC
Plato acknowledged that a “fiat” system not backed by gold was infeasible in international markets; it could only work in a tightly closed domestic system, where full trust in the money’s credit was enforced by the state. Dionysus, probably not too concerned with the details, was sold. He invited Plato to advise him and proceeded…
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Eternal Rivalries: Carthage, Syracuse, and the Gold Coinage of Dionysius I
The obverse depicts Arethusa, a mythical nymph who famously transformed into a spring of fresh water at the center of Syracuse. The dynamic reverse scene features Heracles wrestling the Nemean Lion. The artist chose to depict the highest moment of the struggle; Heracles, on his knees, has his arms wrapped around the lion’s neck, attempting…
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Athens Tetradrachm – US Dollar of the Fifth Century BC
The Athenian tetradrachm is without doubt one of the most iconic coins of the Classical world. From being referenced in numerous ancient Greek plays to a feature on the cover of a Drake song, it is one of the most recognizable types in ancient coinage. The coins boast a portrait of the city’s patron goddess…
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Macedonian Ascendancy under Philip II
Athens sent a fleet in 354, but in a stunning sign of the shifting power balance they were crushed by Philip’s relatively untested forces. Emboldened, he then spent a decade picking off the weaker city-states of northern Greece and certain rogue tribes of the Balkans before turning to the big prizes further south: Athens, Sparta,…