Owl of Goddess Athena Athens Attica Genuine Silver Tetradrachm Necklace with COA

  

Classical Owl of Athena Authentic Genuine Ancient 5th Century BC, 2400+ years old! Silver Tetradrachm Coin, set in a 925 Solid Sterling Silver Bezel. 925 Solid Sterling Silver Popcorn Chain Included. ATTICA, Athens, Circa 454- 404 BC.

AR Tetradrachm, Diameter: 25 mm. Head of Athena right, wearing round earring, plain necklace, and crested Attic helmet. Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig and crescent to left. To right; all within incuse square. Classic style with a well centered strike.

Test cut in ancient times over face of owl. The pendant's approximate diameter is 26 mm.

The necklace's length is 24. Please take a look at the photos for details.

Owl of Athena: In Greek mythology, a little owl (Athene noctua) traditionally represents or accompanies Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom, or Minerva, her syncretic incarnation in Roman mythology. Because of such association, the bird - often referred to as the "owl of Athena" or the "owl of Minerva" - has been used as a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, perspicacity and erudition throughout the Western world. The double wisdom of the classic Athenian Owl tetradrachm coin. In the 5th century BC, Athens was ushering in a glorious, golden age. It was a burgeoning epicentre of political, economic, and cultural influence - including the birthplace of democracy and Plato and the building of the Parthenon - unlike anything the world had seen before. Amid this explosion of ideas, discovery, and creation, Athens produced something else that left a significant mark on the world.

It began minting what became the first mass-circulated coin, the Athenian Owl Tetradrachm. Today it's one of the most iconic and popular ancient coins in classical antiquity. It's an immediately striking four-sided silver coin, with two prominent symbols of wisdom stamped in heavy, high-relief on either side. On the obverse is the right profile of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare, and the patron god of Athens.

Depicted with a large, almond-shaped eye - the typical style of this coin type - Athena also wears a crested Attic helmet with three olive leaves and a floral scroll, symbols of Greek influence. On the reverse side is a Little Owl, an emblem of Athens and the symbolic animal of Athena. The owl embodies the goddess' wisdom, representing the value of learning and knowledge. The bird is also a mark of Athenian prosperity and pride; at that time Athens was the most important city in Greece.

The front-facing owl is depicted with the same large round eyes as Athena. Its three tail feathers and wing are especially detailed. To the left is a two-leafed olive sprig and in the bottom right is the inscription? An abbreviation of ATHENAION, meaning of the Athenians.

The coin's artist and maker remains unknown. Starting from the late 400s BC, it was minted in some form for the next 450 years. During that time the design went largely unchanged, with both wide-eyed embodiments of wisdom stamped prominently on each side: Athena facing the future with knowledge and heroism, and her symbolic animal facing forward, encircled by marks of Greek wealth and success. This item is in the category "Coins & Paper Money\Coins: Ancient\Greek (450 BC-100 AD)". The seller is "sport_authority" and is located in this country: US.

This item can be shipped worldwide.

1. Denomination: Tetradrachm
2. Cleaned/Uncleaned: Cleaned
3. Composition: Silver
4. Provenance: Ownership History Available
5. Year: 454 - 404 BC
6. Country/Region of Manufacture: Greece
7. Date: 454-404 BC
8. Modified Item: No