The exhibition Athenian Archaic Coinage: Mines, Metals and Coins is the product of a pioneering collaboration between the Epigraphic & Numismatic Museum, the Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies, and the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection. The aim of this exhibition is to present ancient Greek archaeometallurgy and coinage to the general public.

According to Homer, silver ‘was born’ in ancient Alybe, a region in the Black Sea, which was rich in metal ores. Centuries later, silver, a precious metal that was used in the manufacture of vessels and jewellery, would become the means which changed, dramatically, ancient cultural and economic history because it became one of the main metals used in coin production.

This exhibition focuses on the Archaic period, a time when society, political systems, and the arts underwent a period of transformation. The exhibition focuses on Archaic coinage, the mining, and processing of precious metals for the production of coins at Lavrio and Siphnos during antiquity. The exhibition also presents the general history and institutions of the Archaic period, during which strict rules on the mining and selling of precious metals were put into place.

This exhibition includes unique archaeological finds, several of which are being exhibited for the first time, which come from the Epigraphic & Numismatic Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the Alpha Bank Numismatic Collection, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Athens, the Ephorate of Antiquities of Eastern Attica, the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea.

In the temporary exhibition Athenian Archaic Coinage: Mines, Metals and Coins, we invite you on a journey of initiation through the ancient art of the metalworkers, who from the bowels of the earth extracted precious metals in order to create coins, which in turn created life and alliances and contributed to culture and art. This is a journey through the political and economic history of the Archaic period – a journey through the rare treasures of antiquity.