Real coins·17 May 2026·5 min read
Athena's owl — the coin that funded democracy
Athens' silver tetradrachm, with the owl on the reverse, was one of the most powerful coins of antiquity.
Around 500 BC, Athens minted silver tetradrachms with the goddess Athena on the obverse and her owl on the reverse. The silver came from the mines of Laurion, and the coin funded the fleet and the city's glory.
The first "brand" coin
The owl was so well known and trusted that it was accepted across the Mediterranean — an international currency two and a half millennia before the euro.
"Owls to Athens" — a Greek phrase for bringing something where it's already abundant.
