Latest / Ancient Greece: Philosophy, Democracy, and Endless War — Fexingo History
The Owl's Curse: Athenian Coinage and Empire
Athens' silver owls were more than money—they were propaganda, a symbol of empire, and a tool of control. This episode traces the tetradrachm from the mines of Laurion to the pockets of merchants across the Mediterranean, showing how coinage funded the Parthenon, paid for triremes, and projected Athenian power. We explore the design's evolution, the infamous 'owl's curse' on later imitations, and the economic warfare of the Peloponnesian War. With nods to Aristophanes and the Sicilian Expedition, we ask: did the owl's flight foreshadow Athens' fall?…
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