The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Tetradrachm: Head of Athena (obverse); Owl (reverse)

Tetradrachm: Head of Athena (obverse); Owl (reverse)

480–449 BCE
Overall: 2.4 cm (15/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The three letters on the reverse—ΑΘΕ—mark this as an Athenian coin.

Description

Incorporating the first three letters of the city name—ΑΘΕ—with then-iconic images of the patron goddess Athena and her owl, the Athenian tetradrachm was among the most widely traded and most recognizable coins of the ancient world. The olive leaves on Athena’s helmet and the small crescent moon behind the owl date this coin after the Persian Wars.
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 7, no. 8 (1920): 123-26. Mentioned: p. 124 www.jstor.org
  • Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
    Stamps: Art in Miniature. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 11, 1955-May 12, 2017).
  • {{cite web|title=Tetradrachm: Head of Athena (obverse); Owl (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=480–449 BCE|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1920.267