Author: NMA

The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Roman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean, a fact that is also reflected in the gradual transition from Roman to Byzantine currency.

In the West, the Peoples of the Great Invasions minted coins in the 5th century following late Roman and Byzantine models. In the mid-8th century, the foundations of the Western European monetary system were laid, which until the 12th century was characterized by the dominance of silver.

Since the 16th century, the creation of major trading powers in Europe and the abundance of precious metals have created the conditions for the issuance and circulation of many large gold and silver coins.

The palm trees cut by Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1828 were the first national coins of the new Greek state. The drachma, first issued by Otto in 1832, formed the basis of the Greek monetary system until it was replaced by the euro in 2002.

The room is dedicated to Ilios Melathron, a monumental residence in the heart of 19th-century Athens, and to the special personality and love of antiquities of its first resident, Heinrich Schliemann.

The Hall of the Hesperides presents the genesis of currency, its manufacturing method and the spread of its use in the ancient Greek world. In the 6th century BC, Greek city-states began issuing their own coins.

The use of currency spread throughout the then known world through the Greek colonies in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The tetradrachm of the Athenian Republic and the tetradrachm and gold stater of Alexander the Great became the "international" coins of the Classical and Hellenistic eras due to their wide distribution.