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Source Description
Incorporating the first three letters of the city name—ΑΘΕ—with then-iconic images of the patron goddess Athena and her owl, the Athenian tetradrachm was among the most widely traded and most recognizable coins of the ancient world. The olive leaves on Athena’s helmet and the small crescent moon behind the owl date this coin after the Persian Wars.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
120477
label
Tetradrachm: Head of Athena (obverse); Owl (reverse)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
120477
contentType
object
title
Tetradrachm: Head of Athena (obverse); Owl (reverse)
description
Incorporating the first three letters of the city name—ΑΘΕ—with then-iconic images of the patron goddess Athena and her owl, the Athenian tetradrachm was among the most widely traded and most recognizable coins of the ancient world. The olive leaves on Athena’s helmet and the small crescent moon behind the owl date this coin after the Persian Wars.
date
449–440 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80016131
genreSpecific
Coins
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 2.3 cm (7/8 in.)
cul
Greek, minted at Athens (Attica)
accession
1941.296
Source extras
tec
silver
tombstone
Tetradrachm: Head of Athena (obverse); Owl (reverse), 449–440 BCE. Greek, minted at Athens (Attica). Silver; diameter: 2.3 cm (7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. Jacob Hirsch, 1941.296
collection
GR - Greek
inscriptions
inscription
ΑΘΕ
inscription_translation
ATHE, indicates that this coin is from Athens
inscription_remark
Reverse
didYouKnow
The images of Athena and her owl unmistakably identify this coin as Athenian.
creditline
Gift of Dr. Jacob Hirsch
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:13:26.257000
sourceId
120477
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Greek
med
silver
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
441027c8b82ac459