The Tetradrachms of Athens (and Athena)
Athena purchased the naming rights to the town now known as
Athens. Coins had not yet been invented so Athena could not pay cash for the naming rights, but she did have something valuable to offer instead: she gave the Athenians the olive tree, which has been associated with Athena and Athens ever since.
The Athenians struck their first coins circa 560 BCE. These are known today as
Wappenmünzen (“badge coins”), due to
Seltman’s (1924) theory – now rejected – that the designs on the coins represented the heraldic badges of important Athenians. Over the span of about 40 years, the Athenians minted several series of Wappenmünzen using 14 different designs. The first Athenian tetradrachms appeared around 515 BCE as part of the last series of Wappenmünzen, using the last of the 14 designs.