Check out coin that built the Parthenon...
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Athens Silver Tetradrachm "Owl"
As the power of Athens grew in magnitude following the Persian defeat, we come to the first major restriction upon issuing monetary authorities. This was the great "Coinage Decree" authored by the designer of this new Athenian imperialisim - Perikles. Essentially, Perikles restricted the Eastern Greek city-states under the control of Athens from issuing money. This decree came down during the year 449 BC and was designed to consolidate monetary policy at the seat of power in Athens much in the same manner as a central bank. For nearly 20 years, Greek city-states were subject to Athenian doctrine. It was the Athenian silver tetradrachm that would become known simply as the OWL that emerged as perhaps the first attempt at creating a single world currency. This coin was so widely accepted internationally, that we find contemporary immatations being minted as far away as India.
Gold Athens Owl
During this brief 20 year period, Athens achieved so much. The Age of Perikles gave mankind a richness in philosophy, rehtoric, government, art, literature and drama not to mention architecture, which still dominates most state buildings well into the modern era. The Parthenon was perhaps the crowning glory of this period and its construction was totally funded by vast quantities of the silver owls. We do find some extremely rare gold issues of Athens during this period. However, based upon their rarity, it is unlikely that they served as a regular part of the monetary system.
This Athenian dominance in monetary authority combined with demands for tribute (taxes) from cities within her new empire, led in part to a revolt known as the Peloponnesian War. Much of the tribute was spent on glorifying Athens rather than on building an empire. The Age of Perikles would last by the short lifetime of a single man. The consequences were delivered by the Peloponnesian War - a tax revolt against the domination of Athens that would bring to an end perhaps the most celebrated golden age of all time. The Peloponnesian War was touched off by an incident in the city of Plataia which quickly became a battle for Greek supremacy between the old rival enemies of Athens and Sparta. After 27 years of struggle and great expenditure, Athens, bankrupt, submitted in 404 BC to Sparta. |
