Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
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 three of these coins after the Persian Wars.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
120479
label
Tetradrachm: Owl, standing, r., crescent moon and olive branch above (reverse)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
120479
contentType
object
title
Tetradrachm: Owl, standing, r., crescent moon and olive branch above (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 three of these coins after the Persian Wars.
date
449–440 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80016135
genreSpecific
Coins
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 2.3 cm (7/8 in.)
cul
Greek, minted at Athens (Attica)
accession
1941.296.b
Source extras
tec
silver
tombstone
Tetradrachm: Owl, standing, r., crescent moon and olive branch above (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.b
collection
GR - Greek
inscriptions
inscription
ΑΘΕ
didYouKnow
The images of Athena on the obverse and her owl here unmistakably identify this coin as Athenian.
creditline
Gift of Dr. Jacob Hirsch
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:13:26.029000
sourceId
120479
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Greek
med
silver
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
424d3ce769add32d