According to author of the 100 Greatest Ancient Coins, Harlan J. Berk, decadrachms from Greece were mostly commemorative. Due to that fact, many have tried to tie a specific historical event to the next coin we will learn about from the series published by Whitman Publishing. Let us take a look further into the highly ranked coin itself and see where Berk lands on its historical context. Once again, we remind you that in this series, we are led by Berk to explore these top 100 from the earliest coinage and onward. This means that their rankings are out of order.
#2 – Athens Decadrachm (Greece – 467-463 BC)
Located in the center of the Attica region of Greece, Athens flourished in the plain between the rivers of Ilissos and Eridanos. Close to the rivers and the port at Piraeus on the Aegean Sea would prove to help Athens develop not just to be a political force, but an economic one during the time of the ancient Greek world.
When it comes to their coinage, Athens is known for its quality in terms of weight and imagery. In this case, its decadrachm stands out among all of their coinage. Weighing 43 grams, the obverse depicts a high relief profile of Athena wearing a helmet. The image is said to be in an archaic style, referencing the art from a previous century. On the reverse, an owl with its wings spread is featured, showcasing a more modern style. It is said to be protecting its nest. In this case, Athens is the nest. In addition, an olive sprig is seen in the upper left corner of the reverse design. Continuing this theme on the obverse, three olive leaves are shown decorating the helmet of Athena. During this time, olive oil was a significant export in the region where Athens was located. It was said that Athena, according to legend, was the first to create an olive tree as a gift to the people of Athens.
As far as the decadrachm is concerned, there are many theories as to why the coin was created and what event it was connected to. Some thought it was the battle of Marathon that occurred in 490 BC. However, the decadrachm has since been identified as a coin that was struck decades after that, around 465 BC. During this time, war had been declared against the Persians and the Athenian leader successfully gained political dominance. Examples of the coin are known to have been found in the regions of Anatolia and Syria, showing that the coin was possibly used as aid during the war for the allies of Athens. However, according to a book written in 1970 on Athenian coinage, there are only 13 examples of the decadrachm known to exist. Today, that population has grown to 40 and more than half of them can be found in museums.
Still trying to connect the Athenian decadrachm to a specific occurrence, some thought the coin commemorated the surrender of Thasos around 463 BC. That theory was quickly shot down by author George Starr (Athenian Coinage 480-449 BC) as he claimed that the battle of Eurymedon River generated more riches and had the kind of significant political effect that would warrant a commemorative.