500 Years of the Athenian "Owl": an Introduction

Please consider a donation to the ANS or becoming a member. Visit us at numismatics.org/membership/
In this video ANS Chief Curator Dr. Peter van Alfen reviews the long history of Athenian silver coinage, from its beginnings in the mid-sixth century BC under the tyrant Peisistratus to the culmination of Athenian silver coin production under Roman control in the first century BC.
Search the ANS’s collection of Athenian coinage: numismatics.org/search/results...
Coins seen in this video:
Wappenmünze with wheel, ca. 530 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
Wappenmünze with horse’s rear end, ca. 530 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
Gorgoneion, ca. 525 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
“Owl” tetradrachm, ca. 515-480 BC: numismatics.org/collection/195...
“Owl” tetradrachm, ca. 460 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
“Owl” decadrachm, ca. 460 BC: numismatics.org/collection/196...
“Owl” tetradrachm, ca. 430 BC: numismatics.org/collection/199...
Syracusan tetradrachm, ca. 410 BC: numismatics.org/collection/199...
“Pi-style” owl tetradrachm, ca. 350 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
“Four-fingered” style owl tetradrachm, ca. 280 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
“New Style” owl tetradrachm, ca. 150 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
Roman-period owl tetradrachm, ca. 70 BC: numismatics.org/collection/194...
For further reading:
The Athenian Empire: Using Coins as Sources: services.cambridge.org/us/acad...
See also Peter van Alfen’s overview of Athenian coinage in this volume:
www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/...
Please visit our online bookstore:
numismatics.org/store/​
Check out the exciting offerings in our new eBay store:
www.ebay.com/usr/american-num...

[@robertadam7182]

Man you’re a great speaker, you could lecture me on baked beans and I’d stay for the whole thing!

[@ABACUStoPC]

A great introduction, both educational and interesting. I was surprised to learn that ANS holds a collection of over 3000 pieces of this type of coin

[@AmericanNumismaticSociety]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kitrichardson5573]

Just like the full head liberty Quarter or the sixth steps on the Lincoln nickel or the full bands on the Mercury dime, the cherished owls are the ones with a full crest on Athena
You can buy an owl anywhere from 500 to 1000 dollars and get very nice specimens but one recently sold at auction for $13,000 With a full crest.

[@PeterSt1954]

A very petty point but the pattern on your shirt made it easy for me to compare your streamed video with the same downloaded video. The downloaded video was much crisper.

[@dougsmit1]

While what was there was fine, I was really hoping for something even mentioning the first half of the 5th century (Archaic) variations other than the one you showed. There was similar omission of the relatively common 'Classical' owl variations (before 404 BC). How many of your total owls are from these? I also would have liked to hear that there were denominations smaller than the tetradrachms and when they were made. Does the ANS have a 1/8 obol? I don't but my 1/4 does not have the owl reverse so may not belong in this video. Finally, you might have addressed your views on the plated coins.

[@marcussilveritis4385]

Awesome Channel

[@SaravananSaravanan-is4ri]

Amazing

[@beachmetaldetectingcrete]

Fantastic Bravo 👏 💙🇬🇷🏖

[@AmericanNumismaticSociety]

Thank you! 😃

[@zooblestyx]

Being new to the field, is this pronunciation of "drachm" convention or an individual preference? Sounds a bit like we're talking about shotgun loads. ^^

[@silvertopaz509]

I'm a small collector of Greek coins. I just received 20 bronze coins under 2 grams. Do you have any books or on line resources that could help me id them. I do have the Seaby Greek Coins Vol 1 and 2.
Thank you for any thing you could point me to.

[@user-lq1yr1ff2y]

لدي واحدة فضة كبيرة الوجه الاول ألكسندر والثاني البومة واقفة على جرة

[@Knights2theEnd]

That introduction was weird

[@bobschaaf2549]

Emma Pratte, and she's fab.

[@zendikOG]

Value of the golden Athenian drachmas.?

[@grom3335]

👍

[@jihadhajibattal329]

I like history

[@parastroika2393]

me too friend

[@sukruzakarai3680]

انا املك متل وحدي هون بدي بدبيعها

[@faesalalrefaai5119]

How I can contact you

[@AmericanNumismaticSociety]

You can contact us through our website... numismatics.org/

[@ZilzasousasilvaSilvs-gt1zl]

I,, haven't,ALL FOR,,SELL,

[@harrybond1485]

Huh?

[@jameslingo4190]

15 minutes seems to me too long

[@laurie.n2487]

15 min seems to long to discuss 500 years of history....k

[@NicoleSpeckbacher]

TI; TELETAI NA MAS DIKSETAI POSA ARXEA ELLHNIKA NOMISMATA KLEPSATAI APO THN ELLADA .