DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49262#0058
38 GREEK AND ROMAN COINS [bk. i
The so-called Corinthian standard was the same as the Euboic-
Attic, differing only in its divisional system. It will be
discussed in greater detail below (§ 6).
This Euboic-Attic standard is met with occasionally on the
west coast of Asia Minor in early times. The rude but remark-
able pieces of electrum attributed by Babeion 1 to Sanios are
struck on this standard (17-42 g· to the stater). But its real
home is in Euboea and Attica. Hence it spread northwards
to Chalcidice, Aenus, and elsewhere. It passed westwards to
Sicily, where, having ousted the Aeginetic standard (see above,
p. 36, note 1), it became thoroughly established in the early
years of the fifth century. From Sicily it went northwards to
Etruria (see below, § 12). But the great triumph of the Attic
standard was reserved for the Hellenistic age. Its adoption by
Alexander the Great, and the enormous number of coins issued
by him and his successors on this standard, changed the whole
face of the Greek coinage. The innumerable copies of the
tetradrachms of Alexander and Lysimachus, and the large
showy ‘ spread ’ tetradrachms of Asia Minor, all of Attic weight,
are evidence of the popularity of the standard. It penetrated
even to Syria, and practically as far east as Alexander’s civiliz-
ing influence was felt, until it lost itself in India.
These five (‘ Gold-shekel,’ Babyionic, Phoenician, Aeginetic,
Euboic-Attic-Corinthian) were the standards of Greece proper
and the East. The most important of the peculiarly Western
standards was of course the Roman. This was really a local
standard, and did not spread over the civilized world in the
natural course of commerce. Its adoption outside the Italian
peninsula was due to the force of Roman domination. It may,
therefore, be most suitably discussed when we reach Italy in
the survey of the various countries in which standards were
used other than the five great ones already described.
§ 5. Local Standards of Asia Minor.
On the western coast of Asia Minor, the great seaport of
Miletus is credited with a large series of early electrum coins,
the weight of the stater being 14-18 to 14-24 g. The standard
1 Rev. Num. 1894, pp. 149 ff.
The so-called Corinthian standard was the same as the Euboic-
Attic, differing only in its divisional system. It will be
discussed in greater detail below (§ 6).
This Euboic-Attic standard is met with occasionally on the
west coast of Asia Minor in early times. The rude but remark-
able pieces of electrum attributed by Babeion 1 to Sanios are
struck on this standard (17-42 g· to the stater). But its real
home is in Euboea and Attica. Hence it spread northwards
to Chalcidice, Aenus, and elsewhere. It passed westwards to
Sicily, where, having ousted the Aeginetic standard (see above,
p. 36, note 1), it became thoroughly established in the early
years of the fifth century. From Sicily it went northwards to
Etruria (see below, § 12). But the great triumph of the Attic
standard was reserved for the Hellenistic age. Its adoption by
Alexander the Great, and the enormous number of coins issued
by him and his successors on this standard, changed the whole
face of the Greek coinage. The innumerable copies of the
tetradrachms of Alexander and Lysimachus, and the large
showy ‘ spread ’ tetradrachms of Asia Minor, all of Attic weight,
are evidence of the popularity of the standard. It penetrated
even to Syria, and practically as far east as Alexander’s civiliz-
ing influence was felt, until it lost itself in India.
These five (‘ Gold-shekel,’ Babyionic, Phoenician, Aeginetic,
Euboic-Attic-Corinthian) were the standards of Greece proper
and the East. The most important of the peculiarly Western
standards was of course the Roman. This was really a local
standard, and did not spread over the civilized world in the
natural course of commerce. Its adoption outside the Italian
peninsula was due to the force of Roman domination. It may,
therefore, be most suitably discussed when we reach Italy in
the survey of the various countries in which standards were
used other than the five great ones already described.
§ 5. Local Standards of Asia Minor.
On the western coast of Asia Minor, the great seaport of
Miletus is credited with a large series of early electrum coins,
the weight of the stater being 14-18 to 14-24 g. The standard
1 Rev. Num. 1894, pp. 149 ff.