Attica Athens 165-142 BC Silver Tetradrachm New Style

Attica Athens 165-142 BC Silver Tetradrachm, New Style

28mm. 16.06g

Obverse description: Head of Athena (goddess of wisdom) right, wearing crested Attic helmet.
Reverse description: Owl standing right on amphora, head facing, closed tail feathers; text around; all within wreath.

Attica is a historical region of Greece that encompasses the city of Athens. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean Sea, bordering on Boeotia to the north and Megaris to the west.

The Athenian ‘owl’ silver tetradrachm is one of the most influential coins of all time. During the 5th Century BC, when Athens emerged as the greatest of all Greek cities ‘owls’ were the most widely used international coin and helped spread Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean world. The peak of Athens success, between 510-400 BC, witnessed the birth of democracy, construction of the Parthenon, pinnacle of Classical art and the origins of Western literature. Never before or since has one city contributed so much to human progress.

Boldly struck with excellent detail.

This coin is from the Clark collection, formed during the 1980’s & 1990’s and consisting of coins from Ancient Greece, Rome and Persia. Coins were sourced from reputable dealers and careful attention paid to selecting quality coins. Greek, Roman Republican and Imperial periods are particularly well represented in silver. These coins clearly gave the collector great pleasure and we are pleased to now be able to pass this on to the next generation. The Clark collection is available exclusively with Silbury Coins. To discuss selling a similar collection please contact us today.