Nowadays, no person can imagine life without money. But it was not always so. When did they enter people's lives? It is known for sure that the first money was in the form of coins.

Scientists and archaeologists are still arguing about the true age of the first coin on Earth. Many studies have been carried out by experts in this field to determine the exact date her appearance. They studied ancient sources and tried to understand the purpose of such an invention. It's amazing to imagine how hundreds of years ago, even before primitive civilization, people found a way to pay for their needs.

What does history show?

It proves with indisputable accuracy that the world's oldest coins originated in Asia Minor (roughly the territory of modern Turkey). Who was the first to create a coin? What legends exist about its creation? You will find out the answers to these questions by reading the entire article.

The discovery of the very first coin in the world

“The Lydians were the first of the people who learned to mint and use silver and gold coins...” - Herodotus reported. What does this mean and who are the Lydians? Let's look into these issues. The thing is that the first coins in the world, the year of minting of which is not exactly known, are coins from the city of Lydia (Asia Minor).

Stater or stater is the first known to people coin. She was popular in Ancient Greece in the period from the 5th century BC. e. to 1st century AD e. At the moment, it has been established that the coins were made precisely under the Lydian king Ardis, in 685 BC. e.

On the territory of their city, the inhabitants of Lydia discovered a rich deposit of a natural alloy of gold and silver. This alloy is called electrum, and gold staters began to be made from it.

One of the oldest coins in the world was sold at auction in 2012 in New York for $650,000. Lydia was located next to Greece, and due to this geographical location, some cultural similarities emerged. Because of this, staters came into circulation in Ancient Greece and nearby states. Some sources claim that the oldest coins in the world were in circulation among the ancient Celts.

The earliest staters that have survived to this day have a very primitive appearance. One side of the coin is blank, and the other side shows the head of a roaring lion. The first stater was found in Palestine and is approximately 2700-3000 years old. Below is a photo of the oldest coin in the world.

First silver coin

Lydian craftsmen began to mint gold and silver coins and use them as a means of payment. This became possible thanks to new methods for purifying valuable metals. The oldest coin in the world made of pure silver was discovered in Greece and was minted in Aegina. These coins were also called Aegina drachmas. On one side of the piece of silver there was an image of a turtle - the symbol of the city of Aegina.

The minted Aeginetan coins quickly spread in Greece, and then even penetrated into Iran. A little later they began to be popular among many barbarian tribes. Looking at the drawing or photo of the first coin in the world, you can understand that it was small in size and looked like a silver plate.

The silver coins of that time were very different from modern coins. They were very bulky and inconspicuous, some of them weighed about 6 grams, and on the front side there was only a city sign. On the reverse side of the coin you can see traces of the spikes that were used to hold the coin plate during minting.

Illinois coin

Some archaeologists claim that the legend about the Lydian coin (statir) is incorrect. Known in world archeology strange story about how an ancient metal plate similar to a coin, which was only a few decades old, was discovered in the USA.

The story goes: in Illinois in 1870, on the Ridge Lawn, while drilling an artesian well, one of the workers - Jacob Moffitt - came across a round plate of copper alloy. The thickness and size of the plate resembled the American coin of that time, equal to 25 cents.

coins from Illinois

This coin could not be called primitive, as it looked quite interesting. On one of its sides two human figures were depicted: one large and wearing a headdress, and the other small. On the back of the plate was an image of a strange animal curled up. He had huge eyes and mouth, elongated pointed ears, a long tail and clawed paws.

Historians call this find a medallion or coin. By the way, along the edges of the plate there were inscriptions similar to hieroglyphs, which have not yet been deciphered.

First mention of an Illinois coin

The earliest mention of this coin was made by Michigan geologist Alexander Winchell in his book “Sparks from a Geologist's Hammer.” He used information obtained from notes made by an eyewitness to the discovery, William Wilmot, in 1871.

In 1876, Professor Winchell presented the plate to the world at a meeting of the American Association. Many geologists considered this act a prank and thought that this coin was nothing more than a fake.

Now, unfortunately, it is impossible to confirm or deny the authenticity of this find, since it has not survived to this day. All that remains of it is a description and a sketch.

The strange thing about this story is that some facts contradict themselves. Let's imagine that the coin really existed, but then many questions arise. The depth at which the world's oldest coin was found is 35 meters, and these are layers 200 thousand years old. It turns out that civilization already existed in America then? Even if so, it is unlikely that the Indians who lived in the pre-Columbian era knew how to obtain a copper alloy.

The first Russian gold coin

The first coin made from gold in ancient Rus', received the name zlatnik or spool. It began to be minted in Kyiv in the 10th-11th centuries after the Baptism of Rus' by Prince Vladimir. There is no exact information about the true name of the first Russian coins. The term “zlatnik” is traditionally used, which is known thanks to the text of the Byzantine-Russian treaty dating back to 912. There are only 11 oldest coins left in the world.

The first spool coin was purchased by G. Bunge in Kyiv in 1796 from a soldier who received a coin from his mother. In 1815, the spool was bought and lost by Mogilyansky. Initially, zlatniki were considered analogues of Bulgarian or Serbian coinage. However, later it became possible to determine the true - Old Russian - origin of these coins. This was achieved thanks to the found treasures of coins, their study and deciphering the inscriptions on them.

Famous finds of silver and gold coins

The news that zlatniks and silver coins were, after all, of ancient Russian origin, cast doubt on the entire collection of Byzantine coins in the Hermitage. Four gold coins were found near Pinsk. Every year the number of pieces of silver found increased, and this served as clear evidence of the existence of a monetary system in ancient Rus'.

The final argument was made by a treasure found in Nizhyn in 1852, in which, among other valuable things, about two hundred pieces of silver were found. Every year the number of silver coins found grew and, thanks to this, more and more private collections appeared.

Appearance of the goldenrod

On the obverse of the coin there was a portrait of Prince Vladimir in a headdress with a cross in right hand and the left, lying on the chest. A trident was depicted on top - a characteristic sign of the Rurik family. Around the circle there was an inscription in Cyrillic that read: Vladimir is on the throne.

On the back of the coin was a figure of Christ, with the Gospel in his left hand and his right hand in a blessing position. Around the circle, as on the front side, there was also an inscription: Jesus Christ.

Physical characteristics of goldenrod

The diameter of the spool was 19-24 mm, and the weight was about 4-4.5 g. All currently known spools were minted with interconnected coin stamps. The size of the imprint for the front side of the coin corresponded to the stamp for the back side.

At the moment, 6 pairs of stamps are known. The inscriptions and images on them are very carefully executed, and in the same style. However, each stamp is different. According to the descriptions, it is known that three pairs of stamps were apparently made by the same person, as they were made very carefully.

The next pair is rather crudely made and the lettering on the front is missing a letter. The remaining two pairs of stamps were most likely copied from the previous ones. The master, most likely, was inexperienced, since he only retained general form coins, and such a detail as the position of Christ's hands was changed. The letters of the inscription are also not located quite correctly, not the same as in previous versions of the spools.

1. Coin plates were cast using folding minting molds, as can be seen from appearance spools
2. The average weight of the spool is 4.2 g; later this value was taken as the basis for the weight unit in ancient Rus'.
3. The appearance of Russian coins contributed to the revival of cultural and trade relations with Byzantium.
4. The model for Vladimir's spool valves was the Byzantine solidi made under the emperors Constantine VIII and Vasily II. Zlatniki were similar to Byzantine solidi in their weight and the location of the design on the coin plate.
5. In 1988, the 1000th anniversary of ancient Russian coinage was celebrated, and in honor of this event, a gold coin with the image of Prince Vladimir.
6. The minting of gold coins lasted only a few years during the life of Prince Vladimir, and after his death it never resumed.

The use of ancient Russian coins has exclusively commercial meaning, because the zlatnik was never used as an object of ritual, gift or reward.

This article will tell you about how, where and when they appeared first coins. What did they look like, what were they made from? The story of the small state of Lydia, which brought great changes to the world of trade. And it seems that money, by its very nature, brings disintegration of society and human nature, since it was in Lydia after the appearance of coins and markets that first brothels And gambling.

For a thousand years, one after another on the coast Ionian Sea and the adjacent islands, states arose, flourished and disappeared. Each of them left something that its neighbors and heirs adapted for their own culture. Of all the great civilizations that rose and fell in ancient Anatolia, Lydia is not among the most famous. The Lydians spoke a European language and lived in Anatolia after about 2000 BC. e. They formed a small state under the auspices of the Mermnad dynasty, which began in the 7th century. BC, but at its peak Lydia was little more than a sprawling city-state emerging from Sardis (Sardes). The rulers of Lydia were not celebrated in myth or song as great warriors, conquerors, builders, or even lovers.

The names of dynasties and rulers are known to us thanks to the Hittite tablets and the books of the Greek historian Herodotus, and only one name from ancient Lydia is generally known today - Croesus. “Rich as Croesus” is a common expression in modern English, Turkish and other languages ​​of the world.

Croesus ascended to the Lydian throne in 560 BC. and began to rule the kingdom, which was already rich. His predecessors created a strong economic basis for the welfare of the state, producing some of the best perfume and cosmetic products ancient world. Yet these goods alone could not raise Croesus to the level of wealth that the myths ascribe to him. He owes this to one invention of his predecessors - coins, a new revolutionary form of money.

Coin prototypes

Something resembling money and something resembling markets can be found in Mesopotamia, China, Egypt and other parts of the world, but they did not actually use coins until the rise of Lydia and the subsequent minting of the first coins, between 640 and 630 BC. BC. The genius of Lydia's rulers can be seen in their recognition of the need to produce small and easily transportable ingots, costing no more than a few days' labor or a small portion of an agricultural harvest. By making these small ingots of standardized size and weight and stamping them with an emblem that confirmed their value even to the illiterate, the kings of Lydia dramatically expanded the possibilities of commercial enterprise.

The Lydians made the first coins from an alloy of gold and silver. They were oval, several times thicker than modern coins and the size of thumb adult. To ensure their authenticity, the king had to stamp each of them with the emblem of a lion's head. This simultaneously flattened the lumps, which began the transformation of the oval ingot into a flat and round coin. By making nuggets of the same weight and approximately the same size, the king eliminated one of the time-consuming steps of commerce: the need to weigh the gold at each transaction. Now traders could determine the value from words or simply by counting the number of coins. This standardization greatly reduced the possibility of deception in the quantity and quality of gold and silver in exchange. You didn't have to be an expert in using scales or in determining the purity of metal to buy a basket of wheat, a pair of sandals, or an amphora of olive oil. The use of coins that were weighed and stamped at the government mint allowed transactions to be carried out faster and more fairly, and to engage in commerce without even having a scale. Commerce with coins opened up new horizons for new segments of the population.

The wealth of Croesus and his predecessors grew not from conquest, but from trade. During his reign (560-546 BC), Croesus created new coins from pure gold and silver, unlike the previous alloy. Using the new coins as a standard means of exchange, Lydian merchants traded in everyday necessities such as grain, oil, beer, wine, leather, utensils and wood, as well as such valuable goods as perfumes, cosmetics, precious jewelry, musical instruments, glazed pottery, bronze figurines, Angora goat wool, marble and ivory.

Emergence of the retail market

The variety and abundance of commercial goods soon led to another innovation - retail market. The rulers of Sardis introduced new system, whereby anyone, even a stranger, if he had something to sell, could come to the central market, instead of looking for a house where someone could buy his oil or jewelry. Countless shops lined the market, and each merchant specialized in a specific product. One sold meat, the other sold grain. One sold jewelry, the other sold clothes. One is musical instruments, the other is pots. This market system began at the end of the 7th century. BC BC, but its legacy can be clearly seen later in Greece, in the medieval market squares of northern Europe and in the suburban shopping centers of the modern United States.

Trade became so important to the Lydians that Herodotus called them a nation of kareY, which means "trader" or "seller", but with a somewhat negative hidden meaning - "small trader". Herodotus saw that the Lydians had become a nation of traders. They turned ordinary trade and barter into commerce.

The commercial revolution in the city of Sardis caused changes that spread widely throughout Lydian society. Herodotus reported with great amazement the Lydian custom of allowing women to choose their husbands. Thanks to the accumulated coins, women became freer to collect their own dowry and thus gained greater freedom in choosing a husband.

New services were quickly introduced into the market. No sooner had the first shops opened than a certain enterprising businessman offered people engaged in commerce a house specializing in sexual services. First known brothels were built in ancient Sardis. To raise their dowries, many of the unmarried women of Sardis may have worked in brothels long enough to accumulate the money needed for the kind of marriage they desired.

Soon appeared gambling, and the Lydians chalked up the invention not only of coins, but also dice. Archaeological excavations have clearly shown that gambling, including babka, flourished in the area around the market.

Commerce created fabulous wealth for Croesus, but he and the noble families squandered their fortunes. They developed an insatiable appetite for luxury goods and found themselves drawn into the game of ever-increasing consumerism. Each family, for example, tried to erect a tombstone larger than that of neighboring families. They decorated monuments with ivory and marble ornaments and held elaborate funerals, burying their dead relatives with gold bands on their heads, bracelets and rings. Instead of increasing their wealth, they destroyed what had been accumulated by their ancestors. The elite of Sardis spent their new wealth on consumption instead of investing it in production.

In the end, Croesus poured his wealth into the two bottomless wells of consumption so common among rulers: buildings and soldiers. He conquered and built. Croesus used his immense wealth to conquer almost all the Greek cities of Asia Minor, including the magnificent Ephesus, which he later rebuilt in an even more magnificent style. Although he was a Lydian and not a Greek, Croesus had a great love for the culture of Greece, including its language and religion. Being a fan of Greece, he ruled the Greek cities with ease.

In a famous episode of Greek history, Croesus asked the Greek oracle what his chances were in the war against Persia. The oracle replied that if he attacked powerful Persia, the great empire would fall. Croesus perceived the prediction as favorable and attacked the Persians. In the bloody massacre of 547-546. BC. the empire that fell was the trading empire of the Lydians. Cyrus easily defeated Croesus's mercenary army and marched on the Lydian capital of Sardis.

While the Persian army plundered and burned the wealth of Sardis, Cyrus taunted Croesus, boasting about what his soldiers were doing with the city and the wealth of the great Croesus.

Croesus replied to Cyrus: “This is no longer mine. Nothing belongs to me now. This is your city, they are destroying and stealing your wealth."

With the conquest of Lydia by Cyrus, the reign of Croesus ended, his dynasty of Mermnad died, and the kingdom of Lydia disappeared from the pages of history. Although the great state of Lydia and its rulers were never reborn, the influence of this small and relatively unknown kingdom remained great, disproportionate to its geographical size and comparatively small role in ancient history. All neighboring peoples quickly adopted the Lydian coinage practice, and the commercial revolution spread throughout the Mediterranean world, particularly in Lydia's closest neighbor, Greece.

Magazine FX Review

Numismatists believe that the first large coins appeared in Lydia. This was the name of a small ancient state on the western coast of modern Turkey. It arose back in the 7th century BC.

Busy trade routes to Ancient Greece and the countries of the East passed through Lydia. Here, early on, there was a need to simplify trade transactions, which was hindered by heavy ingots. The Lydians figured out how to make the very first coins from electrum, a natural alloy of silver and gold. Pieces of this metal, similar in shape to beans, which they used as bargaining chips, began to be flattened and at the same time put on them the sign of the city.

These coins were called Croesoids, named after the legendary immensely rich Lydian king Croesus, who lived in 595-546 BC, more than two and a half thousand years ago.

A few decades later, coins began to be minted in the Greek city of Aegina. They had a completely different appearance than the Lydian ones, and were minted from silver. Therefore, it can be assumed that in Aegina the coin was invented, although later, but independently. From Lydia and Aegina, coins very quickly spread throughout Greece, in its colonies, in Iran, and then among the Romans and many barbarian tribes.

A little later, round coins appeared in distant China. There, for a long time, in seven Chinese states, bronze money was widespread in the form of various household items: knives, bells, spades, swords, hoes. Many of these coins had holes for stringing on a cord. The ancient Chinese were especially fond of “shovel fish” coins. However, such a variety of money in the 3rd century BC. the end has come.

At this time, Qin Shihuangdi - the First Qin sovereign (he lived in 259-210 BC) united all of China under his rule in the Qin Empire... In addition to many important matters, such as the construction of the Great Wall of China, which protected China, from the raids of nomads, Qin Shi Huang abolished all the previously used bronze money - all these bells and knives - and introduced a single money for the entire state - liang. It was a round coin with a square hole in the center... Liang was also destined to live to our time.

There were coins from dozens of cities in circulation on the market, differing in type, weight and value. The coin of one city was worth several coins of another, since it could be made of pure gold, and not of an alloy of gold and silver. Coins with some emblems enjoyed a special advantage, as they were distinguished by the weight and purity of the metal.

Coins of the ancient Greeks.

In Ancient Greece there were several city-states: Athens, Sparta; Corinth, Argos, Syracuse... Each of them had its own coins cast - rectangular and round. There were a variety of stamps and images on them. Most often they depicted gods or sacred animals revered in the city where the coin was issued. After all, each city-state was patronized by its own celestial being.

So, in Olympia, the very place where the Olympic Games were first held, the thunder god Zeus was depicted. Often with an eagle in the palm. In Athens, coins had the profile of the wise daughter of Zeus, Athena, on one side, and an owl, which was considered a sacred bird, on the other. According to her, these coins were called owls.

The coins of Olbia, a Greek city on the northern shore of the Black Sea, were cast in the shape of a dolphin, and then on the round coins of this city they depicted an eagle tormenting a dolphin with its claws. In Chersonesus the goddess Virgo was revered. Her image was also placed on the first coins.

In other cities, in Syracuse, for example, on coins there was the god of light and poetry Apollo in a laurel wreath. The winged horse Pegasus was minted on the coins of Corinth. According to him, they were called foals. The patron of shepherds and hunters, Pan, as well as the mighty hero Hercules were also depicted on coins...

The ancient Greeks had their own coin account. They called a small silver coin an obol. Six obloms constituted a drachma, two drachmas constituted a stater. The smallest coin was the lepta (one hundred lepta made a drachma).

Coins in Ancient Rome.

In the old days they said: “All roads lead to Rome.” Ancient Rome was a powerful state. It was famous not only for the valiant cohorts of warriors who conquered many countries and tribes, but also for the luxury of Roman palaces, the wealth of the nobility, the construction of giant aqueducts (through which water flowed to Rome), magnificent baths (public baths) and, of course, trade.

Merchants from Africa and Asia, from Britain and Scythia brought a variety of goods to the Roman market. There were fabrics, carpets, grain, fruits, jewelry, and weapons. They also traded here live goods - slaves, because Rome was a slave state. From their many campaigns, Roman soldiers brought huge crowds of slaves to Rome.

What kind of money was “circulated” in Ancient Rome? The very first Roman coins were called ases. They were cast from copper, and they also had a rectangular shape. Over time, the aces became round, and the image of the two-faced god Janus appeared on them. He was considered the god of all beginnings (for example, the first month of the year - January - was named after Janus).

Following the asses, silver denarii began to be minted in Rome, equal to the value of 10 assams (denarius - consisting of ten). There was also another silver coin in use - the sistertius (one fourth of a denarius). These coins depicted Roman gods, heroes of myths, and coining tools: anvil, hammer, and tongs.

Often, on the coins of the Roman Empire, a portrait of the emperor was minted, his titles were placed, and sometimes words were of a propaganda nature, glorifying the policies of this ruler. Now it was no longer the deity or the city emblem that vouched for the quality of the coin. Behind it stood a powerful state, personified by the emperor.

Coins-decorations.

Let's listen to the word "monisto". Is it true that there is a connection with the “coin” in it? Monisto is a decoration in the form of beads or necklaces made from coins. Since ancient times, such jewelry, strung with coins on thin cords (gaitans), was worn around the neck by Slavic women. We can safely say that the first coin collectors were Slavic fashionistas.

After all, their necklaces contained Arab, Greek, Roman, Kievan Rus, and Hungarian coins. Isn't this surprising?.. Headdresses and dresses were also decorated with coins. In many families, such decorations passed from generation to generation, “overgrown” and replenished with new pieces all the time.

Therefore, the dress, for example, is from large quantity the coins became heavy, like knightly armor. What attracted fashionistas to coins? Glitter? Melodious ringing? Certainly. But also because each of them is an elegant work of art. Each one can be looked at for hours. That is why the craftsmen decorated jewelry with coins.