Tetradrachm

Common card · No. 303086

The tetradrachm /ˈtetrəˌdræm/ (Ancient Greek: τετράδραχμον, romanized: tetrádrachmon, literally "four-drachm piece") was a large silver coin that originated in Ancient Greece. It was nominally equivalent to four drachmae. Over time the tetradrachm effectively became the standard trade coin of Classical Antiquity, spreading well beyond the borders of the Hellenic world. It was minted in many weight and fineness standards, but the Attic standard of about 17.2 grams gradually became dominant. First appearing in late 6th century BC, the tetradrachm had one of the longest working lives of any currency in history. Popularity of the tetradrachm outlived the political independence of the Greeks and it remained in wide circulation in the Mediterranean up until the currency reform of Diocletian in AD 296/7. Meanwhile debased varieties persisted in India and Central Asia deep into the early Middle Ages. Counting the Chorasmian coinage, which continued to be minted until the end of the eighth century...

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