More About Ancient Coins

This bronze as dates to the Roman imperial period. The as (meaning “bronze”) is a standard denomination of coinage in the Roman monetary system. Coins were often stamped with letters (known as “legends”). Coin legends sometimes relate to the coin’s images, and they can also identify the coin’s issuer or the location of the mint. Portraits of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, and the statesman and general Marcus Agrippa are depicted on the obverse (heads side), while a crocodile chained to a palm tree is on the reverse (tails side) of this coin.

Known and trusted for the purity of their silver content, these Athenian “owls” remained in circulation throughout the Greek world and beyond. The obverse of this silver coin features the helmeted head of the goddess Athena in profile, and on the reverse are two of her many attributes: an owl and an olive branch. While many owl coin reverses carry the legend “AΘE,” an abbreviation of the name Athens, it is not visible on this coin. For 300 years the owl tetradrachm remained the primary coin type, or design, associated with ancient Athens.