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Stater

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Silver staters
An early Archaic silver stater fromCorinth,555–515 BC. Obverse:Pegasusflying left,koppabelow. Reverse: quadripartite incuse
Silver stater fromDelphi,338/6–334/3 BC. Obverse: head ofDemeterleft, wearing grain-ear wreath and veil. Reverse:Apolloseated left onomphalos,tripod to left, ΑΜΦΙΚΤΙΟΝΩΝ around.

Thestater(/ˈsteɪtər,stɑːˈtɛər/;[1]Ancient Greek:στατήρ,pronounced[statɛ̌ːr],romanized:statḗr,lit. 'weight') was an ancient coin used in various regions ofGreece.The term is also used for similar coins, imitating Greek staters, minted elsewhere in ancient Europe.

History

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The stater, as a Greek silver currency, first as ingots, and later as coins, circulated from the 8th century BC to AD 50. The earliest known stamped stater (having the mark of some authority in the form of a picture or words) is anelectrumturtle coin, struck atAegina[2]that dates to about 650 BC.[3]It is on display at theBibliothèque NationaleinParis. According toRobin Lane Fox,the stater as a weight unit was borrowed by theEuboeanstater weighing 16.8 grams (0.54 ozt) from thePhoenicianshekel,which had about the same weight as a stater (7.0 g, 0.23 ozt) and was also one fiftieth of amina.[4]

Gold 20-stater of theGreco-BactriankingEucratides I(c. 160 BC), the largest gold coin ever minted in Antiquity. The coin weighs 169.2 g (5.44 ozt), and has a diameter of 58 mm (2.3 in).

The silver stater minted atCorinth[5]of 8.6 g (0.28 ozt) weight was divided into three silverdrachmaeof 2.9 g (0.093 ozt), but was often linked to theAtheniansilverdidrachm(two drachmae) weighing 8.6 g (0.28 ozt).[6]In comparison, the Athenian silvertetradrachm(four drachmae) weighed 17.2 g (0.55 ozt). Staters were also struck in several Greek city-states such as,Aegina,Aspendos,Delphi,Knossos,Kydonia,many city-states ofIonia,Lampsacus,Megalopolis,Metapontium,Olympia,Phaistos,Poseidonia,Syracuse,Taras,Thasos,Thebesand more.

There also existed a "gold stater", but it was only minted in some places, and was mainly an accounting unit worth 20–28 drachmae depending on place and time, the Athenian unit being worth 20 drachmae. (The reason being that one gold stater generally weighed roughly 8.5 g (0.27 ozt), twice as much as a drachma, while the parity of gold to silver, after some variance, was established as 1:10). The use of gold staters in coinage seems mostly ofMacedonianorigin. The best known types of Greek gold staters are the 28-drachmakyzikenoifromCyzicus.

Non-Greek staters

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A Celtic stater made frombillon alloyfound inArmorica

Celtictribes brought the concept to Western and Central Europe after obtaining it while serving as mercenaries in north Greece.[7]Gold staters were minted inGaulby Gallic chiefs modeled after thephilippeioiofPhilip II of Macedonia,which were brought back after serving in his armies, or those of his sonAlexander the Greatand his successors.[7]Some of these staters in the form of theGallo-Belgic serieswere imported to Britain on a large scale.[8]These went on to influence a range of staters produced in Britain.[9]British Gold staters generally weighed between 4.5 and 6.5 grams (0.14–0.21 ozt).[10]

Celtic staters were also minted in present-dayCzech RepublicandPoland.[11]The conquests of Alexander extended Greek culture east, leading to the adoption of staters in Asia. Gold staters have also been found from the ancient region ofGandharafrom the time ofKanishka.[12]

In 2018, archaeologists inPodzemelj,Sloveniaunearthed fifteen graves at the Pezdirčeva Njiva site. In one of the graves they found a bronze belt with a gold coin. The coin was aCelticimitation of theAlexander the Greatstater, depictingNikeandAthena,and dates back to the first half of the3rd century B.C.[13]

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  • Early 6th-century BC Lydian electrum coin denominated as 1⁄3 stater
    Early 6th-century BCLydianelectrumcoin denominated as1⁄3stater
  • Corinthian stater. Obverse: Pegasus with Qoppa (Ϙ) beneath. Reverse: Athena wearing Corinthian helmet. Qoppa symbolised the archaic spelling of the city (Ϙόρινθος).
    Corinthianstater. Obverse:PegasuswithQoppa(Ϙ) beneath. Reverse:Athenawearing Corinthian helmet. Qoppa symbolised the archaic spelling of the city (Ϙόρινθος).
  • Gold stater of Alexander the Great. Obverse: Athena wearing Corinthian helmet. Reverse: Nike holding stylis and wreath. Possibly minted in Abydos c. 328–323 BC.
    Gold stater ofAlexander the Great.Obverse: Athena wearing Corinthian helmet. Reverse:Nikeholding stylis and wreath. Possibly minted inAbydosc.328–323 BC.
  • Stater struck in Velia 334–300 BC, Athena wearing a Phrygian helmet decorated with a Centaur, Lion devouring prey
    Stater struck inVelia334–300 BC,Athenawearing aPhrygian helmetdecorated with aCentaur,Liondevouring prey
  • Silver stater of Mithrapata of Lycia, c. 390–370 BC
    Silver stater ofMithrapataofLycia,c.390–370 BC
  • Gold stater of the Corieltauvi, 50−20 BC
    Gold stater of theCorieltauvi,50−20 BC
  • Channel Islands Armorican Billon Silver Stater about 75 BC, obverse, head r.
    Channel IslandsArmorican Billon Silver Stater about 75 BC, obverse, head r.
  • The reverse showing a stylised horse r., and a comet below
    The reverse showing a stylised horse r., and a comet below

See also

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References

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  1. ^"stater".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Merriam-Webster.
  2. ^Coin images
  3. ^Ancient coinage of Aegina.snible.org. Retrieved on 2011-02-10.
  4. ^Lane Fox, Robin.Travelling Heroes: Greeks and Their Myths in the Epic Age of Homer.P. 94. London: Allen Lane, 2008.ISBN978-0-7139-9980-8
  5. ^Smith, William.A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.J. Murray, 1881.
  6. ^Catalogue of Greek coins, A. Baldwin, Boston, 1955
  7. ^abDe Jersey, Philip (1996).Celtic Coinage in Britain.Shire Publications. pp. 1–2.ISBN0-7478-0325-0.
  8. ^De Jersey, Philip (1996).Celtic Coinage in Britain.Shire Publications. pp. 15–19.ISBN0-7478-0325-0.
  9. ^De Jersey, Philip (1996).Celtic Coinage in Britain.Shire Publications. pp. 20–26.ISBN0-7478-0325-0.
  10. ^Bean, Simon C (1994). "Methodology".The coinage of Atrebates and Regni(PDF)(Ph.D.). University of Nottingham. pp. 17–18.Retrieved14 July2016.
  11. ^Żabiński, Zbigniew(1981).Systemy pieniężne na ziemiach polskich.Zakład Narodowy Im. Ossolińskich, PAN. p. 22.ISBN83-04-00569-7.
  12. ^Prabha Ray Himanshu (2006-06-01).Coins in India.Marg Publications.ISBN978-81-85026-73-2.
  13. ^A significant find at Pezdirčeva Njiva: A gold coin from the 3rd century B. C.
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