Drachma
The old currency of Greece, the drachma.
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
2002 Placed there.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
It is a bronze relief of a 0.97-metre diameter, embedded in a marble column that is 2.17 metres long and 1.3 metre wide. The Drachma used to be the official currency of Greece, depicted in this sculpture based on the final cut of the coin in 1988. The inscription in the lower part of the column reads:
“The last cut of the oldest currency in Europe. It was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2002 “(Antonopoulou, 2003).
What I can't see
The sculpture by Pantelis Tzomakas and Petros Georgariou is a monument of the old currency. The drachma was the coin of ancient Athens from the late 6th century BC to the Roman times. It was a very strong currency in ancient times, especially during the heyday of ancient Athens. The word drachma comes from the verb “drattomai” which means “to seize”. One drachma was equivalent to six metal rods (obols), the exact number of rods that could be held by the palm of one hand. The new Greek state adopted the drachma as its official currency from 1832 until 2002, when the country joined the Economic and Monetary Union.
Info
- Address: Athinas St.
Bibliography
Evgenidou D., Ralli Ε., Tselekas P., Fountouli Μ., (2007), Το νόμισμα στον αρχαίο ελληνικό κόσμο, [The currency in ancient greek world], Ministry of Culture, Numismatic Museum
