|
It is generally accepted that the most ancient mint in the Greek mainland was situated on the island of Aegina. Researches indicate that the island's coins date from the years after
Initially, scholars maintained that coinage had an economic function, being a stable measurement for the needs of trade. It was absolutely normal to consider that its emergence -which served that purpose precisely- attested the development of transactions in the Archaic period and the beginning of a monetary economy.
Later however, it was ascertained that the above opinion was not that simple. On the contrary it presented an intricacy that made its re-evaluation necessary. The first information concerning the transition from simple exchange of goods to the use of money, is found in Aristotle's texts. In the relevant extracts he seems to attribute a moral interpretation to the role of coinage, which is directly associated with the set of values in the Archaic communities.
Apart from that, we see that during the first mintings in several cities the low denominations are missing. Moreover, where there are high denominations, as in the cities of Sicily, coins circulated mainly in the region where they were minted. This could be interpreted as a sign that -at least in the beginning- coinage was not used for facilitating trade, domestic or overseas. The only cases where there seems to be a relation -be it indirect- between trade and coinage are those of Athens and the coastal cities of Thrace and Macedonia. These cities exported coinage to the East and to Egypt, though not as currency, but as valuable objects made of silver.
| |
|
Note: Click on a picture for a brief description. |