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The mina, which was further divisible, although the exact equivalence varied by country, served as the basis for the various coinage systems adopted by the Greeks: from the Euboic-Attic drachma, the most common, to the Aeginetic and Corinthian drachmas, the latter also used in Magna Graecia and Sicily.ġ talent = 30 heavy minas = 60 light minasġ drachma = 6 obols = 12 hemiobols = 24 tetratemorions Display case 6 Asia Minor Silver coins In both Asia and in Greece the highest unit of weight was the talent, which was divisible into minas.
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Metal coins were struck based on the system of weights in use where they were produced. Display case 5 Greek coins Weight standard Towards the end of the Archaic period, Phocaea, Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, Cyzicus and Miletus were among the most important centres for minting electrum coins (see photo no.
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The Greeks transformed electrum, a gold and silver alloy found naturally in the region, into coins although the ambiguous nature of the alloy soon forced the authorities to attest to its value, marking each piece. They are of great historical interest since they document the initial stages of the circulation of coined money in Asia Minor. Display case 3 Greek coins The treasure of Artemis at Ephesusĭuring the excavations of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, numerous electrum coins (drops of metal without any mark, striated or struck coins, those with figures and inscriptions) were found, buried during the time of Croesus while work was being done to level the foundation for a new temple. These coins, featuring the heads of a lion and a bull facing one another on the front side, continued to be issued even after his death (see photo no. Display case 2 The Kingdoms of Asia Minor The first appearance of gold and silver coinsĬroesus, the last king of Lydia, is credited with creating a bimetallic monetary system of gold and silver coins called croeseids related by fixed value ratios.
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According to Herodotus, the credit for this innovation went to the Lydians, the first to mint gold and silver coins. They became 'money' when small bars of fixed weight and metal content were impressed with the seal of a recognized authority, making it possible to exchange them by number rather than weight and eliminating the need for scales. Precious metals had been exchanged by weight from the very earliest times. You can find out more about the members of the project on the “ Members” page.Photo gallery Display case 1 Metals and money To integrate issues of linguistic contact and linguistic borrowing into the discourse of archaeologists, historians and other scholars working on Greek colonization in Italy, and to promote dialogue between linguists and other scholars.To investigate the nature of the Greek spoken in towns in Southern Italy, and compare this with developments in the rest of the Greek world.To understand the spread of the Greek alphabet among non-Greek speaking communities.To understand the nature and long-term effects of language contact between Greek and other languages of Ancient Italy.We will consider the nature and outcomes of contact between Greeks and speakers of the various native languages of ancient Italy, investigating the changes on the languages themselves, and relating linguistic interactions to social and political factors. Substantial archaeological and textual discoveries in the last three decades have opened up our knowledge of the Greeks in Italy and the native societies they encountered, but there has been no complete study of the impact made by Greek on indigenous languages - this project aims to fill this gap. Some cities of Italy, including Naples, Rhegium and Tarentum, remained Greek speaking even under Roman rule. Greeks brought with them urban living, religion and wine drinking, the alphabet and its associated uses. Greek settlements in Italy are attested from the 8th century BC onwards, and there is evidence for Greek trade from even earlier. The southern half of Italy became known as ‘Big Greece’, both by Romans (Magna Graecia) and Greeks (Megalē Hellas). In the course of the first millennium BC Greek sailors, traders and colonists visited and settled in the Italian peninsula in increasing numbers. The project will run from January 2014 – December 2017. Greek in Italy is an AHRC-funded research project based in the Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge.