A Very Brave Owl

I have two large eyes that take up most of my face and the cutest little beak. Although I am made of metal, you can see my tiny feathers covering my body and crowning my head. One of my majestic wings is on view as well as my three tail feathers and two sturdy legs. Above my body is an olive sprig. Coins like me were among the most recognizable coins in ancient times, used all over the Mediterranean and produced in great numbers!

This means that I have a lot of brothers and sisters—and it was basically a family reunion when I went from one coin purse to another! I’m from Athens, one of over one thousand Greek city-states, although none were as large as Athens. While I live on one side of the coin, my other side features the head of Athena. She’s the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare, and also the patron goddess of Athens. We don’t really see eye to eye, Athena and me.

Oh, we get along; I’d ride into battle with the great Athena any day! It’s just literally impossible to see eye to eye when she’s heads and I’m tail...feathers [laughs]. When you think about it, coins really haven’t changed all that much over time. I bet you can find a coin right now with an animal on one side and the face of someone important on the other. Go! Find it! I’ll wait. Yes, you can use the internet. What coin did you find? What country is it from? What’s it made out of?

Well, I’m made out of silver which makes sense seeing as there were silver mines in the mountains outside of Athens. I’m also heavier than the coins of today. You want to know how I was made? Well, it went a little something like this… First, you have to heat the silver. It must be so hot that it turns into a bright liquid. That molten metal is then poured into circular molds. Once the molds cool, it is time to give the coins specific images that project out from the flat surface of the coin.

To make the coin a true Athenian Owl like me, a blank disc was sandwiched between a pair of cylinders with the engraved designs on either side. This was then struck with a hammer! Talk about a splitting headache! The force of the hammer impressed the designs into the coin on both sides: the majestic Athena on one side and me, her loyal owl on the other. It was a noisy process—but not as noisy as the agora! The agora was the center of city-state life. It was loud and crowded.

People would work, trade or buy goods, meet friends, and conduct business deals. In truth, I am a bit of an agoraphobe; that’s someone who is afraid of public spaces. It comes from the Greek words “agora” which means meeting place and “phobia” which means fear. It was at the agora where a vendor cut into me to make sure I was really made out of silver—he could’ve just asked! You can still see a “test cut” that goes from the edge of the coin almost all the way to my gorgeous wing!

From that day forward, I have been a bit nervous to go into any market place. But I had to be there because people needed me to buy what they wanted. In the Athenian agora, you could find goods from around the Mediterranean. There were dates from Phoenicia, the softest linen from Egypt, the brightest ivory from North Africa, and fragrant spices from Syria. Merchants of similar goods had shops together in specific areas in the agora.

Prices were rarely set in stone, so bargaining with the merchants was a common practice. I do remember one particular screaming match over the size of fish like it was yesterday. Like today’s paper money and coins, I’ve been passed around from vendor to buyer and back again. I have been in many hands, strongboxes, and ships. But on this day, I was in the small, leather pouch of a tough Spartan teenager by the name of Daphne. Daphne had traveled to Athens with her father, a wealthy diplomat.

When Daphne arrived at the agora in Athens she was shocked by the social norms. In Athens, women had to shop with a male relative or with an enslaved escort. Only very poor women would shop in the markets alone or sell goods. This was not like Sparta at all, where women could shop on their own whenever they wanted. Sparta and Athens were independent Greek city-states, each with their own government and culture.

So while they shared a common language and religion, there were also many little differences. As Daphne discovered, alone in the agora! Daphne felt eyes staring at her throughout the marketplace. They could tell by her dress that she was a well-off and respectable young woman. They knew she shouldn’t be alone! Many vendors even refused her service unless she came back with a male relative.

As I jiggled and jostled inside her loosely tied purse, I had a feeling the next person to refuse Daphne was going to meet real, true Spartan rage. And who could really blame Daphne! It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t shop alone but her brother could. Can you think of a time where something unfair happened to you or a friend? Maybe someone cut you in line, or copied from your homework? How did that make you feel? Probably as upset as Daphne! Daphne was determined to buy something. Anything.

She approached a fishmonger and asked if he had any squid. Without a word he retrieved the tiniest squid in his possession and attempted to wrap it up for a potential sale. Daphne couldn’t believe how disrespectful this was! She could afford the best! What was the meaning of this insulting gesture? Daphne screamed at the man and told him his catch was puny!

Without thinking, Daphne threw the squid in the fishmonger’s face and vowed never to return to Athens or its agora with its too many rules ever again. The fishmonger was hot with rage and began moving from behind his fish stall. Daphne knew that it was time to RUN. In the heat of the moment, I fell from Daphne’s purse and onto the dirt path.

You see, Sparta forbid the use of valuable gold and silver coins, so Daphne was not used to handling them or making sure she didn’t lose them in the hustle and bustle of a quick getaway! The fishmonger, hot on Daphne’s trail, stopped when he saw my silver surface catch the light. When he realized what was in his hands, an Athenian Owl, representing four days of pay for a Greek soldier, he immediately began to thank Athena for her generosity and wisdom. From then on the fishmonger kept me close.

A testament to the favor Athena showed him and a reminder that seeking revenge is never worth it! He would have never found me if he’d kept running after Daphne. And Daphne wouldn’t have lost me if she hadn’t tried to get her revenge by throwing that slimy squid. And I was just relieved. I didn’t have to go from vendor, to buyer, to purse for quite some time! I was special. A gift from a goddess. Sometimes you just need a break from the rat race, you know?

Special thanks to curators Ken Lapatin and Judith Barr and educator Lilit Sadoyan. Catch you next time!