How do you pronounce Didrachm?

Also didrachma [dahy-drak-muh].

How much is a tetradrachm worth?

The coin is a tetradrachm, meaning that it was worth four drachmas; one drachma, in turn, was worth six obols. It is a high value coin representing, in the mid-fifth century BC, four days’ pay for a skilled labourer or for a hoplite soldier, or two days’ pay for a sculptor working on a public building.

What was ancient Greece currency?

drachma, silver coin of ancient Greece, dating from about the mid-6th century bc, and the former monetary unit of modern Greece. The drachma was one of the world’s earliest coins. Its name derives from the Greek verb meaning to grasp, and its original value was equivalent to that of a handful of arrows.

What does the word Tetradrachm mean?

: an ancient Greek silver coin worth four drachmas.

What could a tetradrachm buy?

A large silver coin a tetradrachm would buy luxuries such as jewellery, horses or weapons. It was worth four times a man’s daily wage. From about the eighth century B.C. the Greek world was characterized by the city-state.

How heavy is a tetradrachm?

The normal weight for a tetradrachm struck on the Attic standard is actually about 17.2 gm. … 1991 William E. Daehn; used by permission of the author and the publisher.

Name of Standard Standard Unit Weight (gm)
Phoenician shekel (didrachm) 7.0
Rhodian tetradrachm 13.2 or 15.2
Samian tetradrachm 13.1
Sicilian litra 0.86

Are old Greek coins worth anything?

Today ancient Greek coins are also numismatic coins. This means that they are worth more than the value of their precious metal and are therefore valuable collectibles. Their added value is mainly a result of their ancient history and rarity.

What was Spartan money?

Allegedly, Spartans were prohibited from possessing gold and silver coins, and according to legend Spartan currency consisted of iron bars to discourage hoarding. It was not until the 260s or 250s BCE that Sparta began to mint its own coins.

Who invented money?

No one knows for sure who first invented such money, but historians believe metal objects were first used as money as early as 5,000 B.C. Around 700 B.C., the Lydians became the first Western culture to make coins. Other countries and civilizations soon began to mint their own coins with specific values.

How did Sparta make money?

Sparta’s economy relied on farming and conquering other people. Sparta didn’t have enough land to feed its entire population, so Spartans took the land they needed from their neighbors. Because Spartan men spent their lives as warriors, Sparta used slaves and noncitizens to produce needed goods.

What is a stater coin?

The stater, as a Greek silver currency, first as ingots, and later as coins, circulated from the 8th century BC to AD 50. The earliest known stamped stater (having the mark of some authority in the form of a picture or words) is an electrum turtle coin, struck at Aegina that dates to about 700 BC.

How many Tetradrachms are there?

Three Different Types. Archaic Tetradrachm: First there were the so-called Archaic tetradrachms.

What is the study of coins called?

Numismatics is the study of coins and other currency units and is usually associated with the appraisal and collection of rare coins. Numismatists study the physical properties, production technology, and historical context of specimens of currency.

What is the rarest Roman coin?

The rarest known imperial Roman coin is perhaps the Aureo medallion of Massenzio, known in only two pieces. A piece of this rare Roman coin was sold at auction on 5 April 2011. The price? It was sold for the astronomical amount of $ 1,407,550.

How much is a gold Roman coin worth?

An 8.18-gram Roman gold aureus from the time of Julius Caesar (died 44 BCE) would contain gold worth $330.50. The spot price of silver is $14.22 per Troy ounce.

What is the oldest gold coin?

Lydian stater According to different scholars, the Lydian stater is considered the world’s oldest coin still around. Made of a mix of gold and silver called electrum, these early coins were minted around 600 BCE in the kingdom of Lydia in the modern country of Turkey.

How do I identify ancient Greek coins?

What is Attic weight standard?

Attic weight, or the Attic standard, also known as Euboic standard, was one of the main monetary standards in ancient Greece. … The Attic weight was based on a drachma of 4.31 grams, but in practice the main denomination was the tetradrachm or four-drachma coin, which weighed approximately 17.26 g in silver.

How can you tell if a Greek coin is real?

The tools used for engraving in antiquity (among the Romans) gave a particular form to letters. On the authentic coins, we see horizontal pointed lines at the ends of the letters. The letter A will show you both legs with this sharp line at the bottom of each leg.

Which Greek coins are worth money?

What Greek coins are worth money? … These are some of the most collectible Greek coins that exist:

Who invented the Greek coin?

Lydia was credited by the Greeks with inventing coins in the early 6th century BCE which were stamped by the state to guarantee value and be recognisable as genuine.

What language did Spartans speak?

Tsakonika is based on the Doric language spoken by the ancient Spartans and it is the only remaining dialect from the western Doric branch of Hellenic languages. In contrast, Greek descends from the Ionic and Attic dialects on the eastern branch.

How did Spartans treat their wives?

To contemporaries outside of Sparta, Spartan women had a reputation for promiscuity and controlling their husbands. Unlike their Athenian counterparts, Spartan women could legally own and inherit property and they were usually better educated.

How tall was the average Spartan?

Depending on the type of Spartan the height of a Spartan II (fully armoured) is 7 feet tall (spartan 3) 6’7 feet tall (spartan II) 7 feet tall (spartan 4), and have a reinforced endoskeleton.

What would happen without money?

If there was no money people wouldn’t really want to work anymore. They would rather spend time with their friends and family. The reason why many people will stop working is also because they won’t really see a reward at the end of the day. And if everyone stopped working, think about what would happen to the world!

Who was the first to make money?

No one knows for sure who first invented such money, but historians believe metal objects were first used as money as early as 5,000 B.C. Around 700 B.C., the Lydians became the first Western culture to make coins. Other countries and civilizations soon began to mint their own coins with specific values.

Who created the US dollar?

Origins: the Spanish dollar The United States Mint commenced production of the United States dollar in 1792 as a local version of the popular Spanish dollar or piece of eight produced in Spanish America and widely circulated throughout the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries.