![]() It was used for different purposes since third millennium BC. However, the variation in the gold and silver contents of this alloy made it difficult to decide the value of each coin. Due to this reason, foreign trading of that time was seriously hampered. In order to solve this problem, pure silver coins were introduced in 570 BC. But the new silver coins did not entirely replace the Electrum ones as the later was much more valuable than the former for their gold content. Around 350 BC, the Electrum coins went out of use. The uses of this alloy were similar to gold. In fact, It was more preferred than gold for coinage for its better hardness and durability. ![]() Another reason for the preference was that the techniques of refining gold were not very prevalent at that time. This metal was used for coating the exteriors of pyramidions (the uppermost piece of an Egyptian pyramid). Electrum was also used for making coins and drinking vessels in ancient times. They are a ligature of Chi (X) and Rho (P), the first two letters of “Christ” in Greek.Thrones, chariots, statues, amulets and jewelry were also made using this alloy.Įlectrum coins are considered to be valuable collectables. Also known as a “Momogramma Christi” or “Chrismon,” Christograms are one of the earliest symbols of Christianity. On the reverse, the Roman goddess Victoria (the personification of victory and equivalent to the Greek goddess Nike) is seated, inscribing Christogram on a shield set. She has also been canonized by the Eastern Orthodox Church and her feast day is celebrated on September 14th.Ī Roman coin dating around 25 Aug 383 – 384 A.D., this coin features a diademed, draped bust of Aelia Flaccilla on the front. Constantinople’s Palatium Flaccillianum was named in her honor and a statue of her was placed in the Byzantine Senate. St Gregory of Nyssa praises her Christian virtue and discusses her role as a “leader of justice” and “pillar of the Church.”Īelia Flaccilla died of natural causes in 384 AD. She was a true supporter and believer of the Nicene creed. Gregory of Nyssa praised her as a “leader of justice” and “pillar of the Church.”Īelia Flaccilla was a Roman empress and the first wife of Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Ambrose described her as “a soul true to God” and St. She was a fervent believer of the Nicene Creed and personally tended to the sick, disabled, and poor. She was renowned for her piety and generosity. Not much is known about Aelia Flavia Flaccilla prior to her marriage to Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Consumer transactions were now nice and neat – modern currency was born. Despite the regional design differences, coins were a small, easily-transportable, and uniform collateral. The Greeks commemorated their famed gods and goddesses the Romans struck coins featuring their emperors and the Celts engraved coins with images of symbolic runes and animals. This led to a diversity in decoration with regions designing coins to commemorate local customs or leaders. The use of coins spread throughout the ancient world (thanks, in part, to the ease with which coins could travel). This change in materials also led coins to reflect an intrinsic value rather than an arbitrary one (as we have applied value to modern currency). Originally made of electrum (an alloy of gold and silver), the coins were later struck from the more durable gold and silver. The Lydians struck coins of a “fixed weight and fineness, bearing the inscription and/or device of responsible authority stamped on it.” People could show their wealth (or lack thereof) not just through their homes or clothes, but with the amount of coins they carried. ![]() They introduced a system of having money for, well, money’s sake. Located in modern-day Turkey, the Lydians were a kingdom with ties to the ancient Greeks. There was no set standard of weight, size or shape – that is, until the Lydians struck the first coins around 650 BC. Ingots, rings, and other metal shapes/objects had been widely used but were impractical currency. Event the use of metals as currency was not unknown in the ancient world. Photo by PHGCOM, via Wikimedia Commons.Īncient civilizations had tried to circumvent this issue: the Chinese had used shells as currency while the Mesopotamians had a banking system where people could deposit their goods (from grains and livestock to pottery and fabric) for safekeeping. Carthage Electrum Coin (found in British Museum).
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