Athenian Tetradrachm

3D Model

An Athenian tetradrachm dated to ca. 440-404 BCE. The coin is made of silver, with a weight of 17.05 grams. The tetradrachm was worth four drachmas, each of which was the daily rate for a soldier’s pay.

The Athenian tetradrachm is the most well known classical Greek coin, and features the helmeted head of Athena on the obverse, and Athenian owl on the reverse. The reverse also displays an olive spray, referring to the Athenian founding myth of the contest of Athena and Poseidon. The Greek letters AθE, an abbreviation of ATHENAION, meaning ‘of the Athenians’. Beside the olive sprig is a crescent moon, which has been argued to refer to the Athenian victory at Marathon, when Herodotus reports the Spartans refused to send aid until the full moon.

This photogrammetry model was created in Reality Capture from 150 images.