The birth of coinage in Ancient Greece was not really an invention of convenience but a necessity, driven by the need to pay mercenary soldiers. The Kingdom of Lydia is credited with inventing greek coins in the early 6th century BCE. The idea later spread to the independent city states of Ionia on Aegean coast and then to the rest of the Greek world.
The history of Ancient Greece is divided into three periods- Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic. The Archaic period extends from 800 BCE, from the introduction of ancient greek coins until the Persian Wars in about 480 BCE. The Classical period follows and lasts till the conquest of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE. The Hellenistic extends till the Roman absorption of the Greek world in about 31 BCE.
The region was segregated into several self-governing cities and towns who issued their own types of greek ancient coins. To facilitate intercity trade, coins became progressively more standardized. The Drachm became the most popular unit of exchange. Unlike the modern coins, all Greek coins were hand-made rather than milled. This technique was fairly crude, but the Greek World achieved perfection, making the coins look highly remarkable.
For the first time in India, Mintage World brings to all an exquisite insight with detailed information on Ancient Greek coinage. Explore some of the rarest Greek coins discover some amazing facts with us!
