Ashton Chung
Zak Gram
October 22, 2021
I have read and understood the relevant sections concerning plagiarism in the UCLA Student
Code of Conduct handbook. This paper is my own work and has in no way violated UCLA’s
Code of Conduct.
Ashton Chung
McInerney, Page 152
Essay
Wappenmünzen, also called Heraldic Coins, were early examples of a physical currency
in Greece during the Archaic Age. The Wappenmünzen’s various faces minted onto them
represent the specific areas of Greece where they were used, such as the Athenian tetradrachm
and Aignetan Turtle. 1 In this mini-essay, I will discuss how the different features of the coins and
their fluctuation represent the growing political strife characteristic of the Archaic Age and how
they differ from the modern world’s use of currency.
The Athenian tetradrachm has a grotesque-looking monster minted onto it. Some scholars
say that this was an emblem of a powerful and wealthy family in Athens. 2 I also believe this
statement as families would most likely utilize such symbols of power to establish dominance in
their respective regions. Forcing citizens to use their currency establishes a sort of control over
them, leading to further success for the family. The transition from a universal, unofficial
currency such as wheat and grain to “official” coins that are practically useful in only very
specific places most definitely led to division in Greece. Whereas in the modern world, currency
has become drastically more uniform and easily interchanged. This led to much more unity in
countries that all use the same type of currency, such as the U.S. dollar. So it is apparent that the
shift has been much more positive, as coins in the past led to disruption and now they symbolize
a sense of uniformity and relations.
The transition into currency also had a possibility of angering the lower class as well.
Since back in Archaic Greece many members of the lower class were farmers, the transition from
using their goods as trade items to having to obtain actual currency detrimentally impacted their
1
2
McInerney 2019: 152
McInerney 2019: 152
wealth levels. The new currency placed an unnecessary hassle on the farmers. Also, since the
farm items were easier to trade at a foreign level, the new currency being locked to their
respective regions further denies easier profits for the farmers of the time, forcing them to be
more constricted in their options of trade and purchases. This in turn creates distrust in the
government, leading to further political disruption in the democracies.
Another example of the lack of political unity was how Athens changed the symbol
multiple times, eventually settling on the owl at the end of the sixth century.3 When a currency is
unstable and fluctuates this much, it must be blatant that the government at the time reflected a
similar status. The people at the time must have been frustrated with the government due to the
fluctuation of the currencies, as having to update every time leads to unrest among them and
their government.
At first reaction, the Wappenmünzen seem like a positive change in Greek history as
modern-day currency is easily interchangeable and uniform. However, as stated throughout this
essay, they actually represent the political turmoil and disunity that characterized Archaic
Greece.
3
McInerney 2019: 152