September 8, 2025 • 12 mins
What dangers await Athena’s brave and loyal owl at the Greek marketplace? This Athenian coin shares his take on how money was made and used in ancient Greek city states—and how different states had different rules around the agora, or marketplace, that could sometimes get you into trouble!
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For a listening guide, a coloring sheet, images, and more, visit getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:00):
This is a Getty podcast.
Host (00:06):
If somebody asked you where an owl lived, you’d
probably say in a tree, right?
Well today’s guest mightbe an owl, but he lives
someplace unusual—on anancient coin to be precise.
Welcome to If Objects CouldTalk, a podcast where art
(00:26):
and artifacts get to leavethe museum vault and tell
their side of the story.
Thanks for joining us as webring objects into the light!
Quick question (00:35):
do you have any coins at home?
Maybe in a piggy bank ora few nickels and dimes
under your couch cushions?
If the answer is “no”don’t worry about it.
A lot of us only have moneyin the bank and use cards
or phones to pay for things.
(00:56):
But in ancient times, coinswere the hot, new way to pay.
The coin we’ll hear from todaywas made between 505–490 BCE.
It was made in Athens, Greecebut found far away, in Egypt.
I’ll let our owltell you the rest.
Owl Coin (01:21):
[marching] ATTENTION!
What an exciting opportunityto educate young minds on
what it means to be, well, me.
At ease, private.
Not only am I wise, andhumble, I am also very brave.
(01:42):
And why wouldn’t I be?
I’m important!
I’m currency!
Money!
The big cheese!
I helped people getthe things they wanted!
The things they needed!
But before we get to the whywe must know more about the
who, who-who [clears throat].
About the who.
First things first: I am adorable! (02:03):
undefined
It’s true!
I have two large eyes thattake up most of my face
and the cutest little beak.
Although I am made ofmetal, you can see my
tiny feathers covering mybody and crowning my head.
One of my majestic wings is onview as well as my three tail
(02:27):
feathers and two sturdy legs.
Above my body is an olive sprig.
Coins like me were amongthe most recognizable coins
in ancient times, used allover the Mediterranean and
produced in great numbers!
This means that I have a lotof brothers and sisters—and
(02:48):
it was basically a familyreunion when I went from
one coin purse to another!
I’m from Athens, one ofover one thousand Greek
city-states, although nonewere as large as Athens.
While I live on one sideof the coin, my other side
(03:09):
features the head of Athena.
She’s the Greek goddess ofwisdom and warfare, and also
the patron goddess of Athens.
We don’t really see eyeto eye, Athena and me.
Oh, we get along; I’dride into battle with
the great Athena any day!
(03:29):
It’s just literallyimpossible to see eye to
eye when she’s heads and I’mtail...feathers [laughs].
When you think about it,coins really haven’t changed
all that much over time.
I bet you can find a coinright now with an animal
(03:50):
on one side and the face ofsomeone important on the other.
Go!
Find it!
I’ll wait.
Yes, you can use the internet.
What coin did you find?
What country is it from?
What’s it made out of?
(04:10):
Well, I’m made out of silverwhich makes sense seeing as
there were silver mines in themountains outside of Athens.
I’m also heavier thanthe coins of today.
You want to know how I was made?
Well, it went a littlesomething like this…
First, you have toheat the silver.
It must be so hot that itturns into a bright liquid.
(04:35):
That molten metal is thenpoured into circular molds.
Once the molds cool, it istime to give the coins specific
images that project out fromthe flat surface of the coin.
To make the coin a trueAthenian Owl like me, a blank
disc was sandwiched betweena pair of cylinders with the
(04:56):
engraved designs on either side.
This was then struckwith a hammer!
Talk about a splitting headache!
The force of the hammerimpressed the designs into
the coin on both sides (05:08):
the majestic Athena on one side and
me, her loyal owl on the other.
It was a noisy process—butnot as noisy as the agora!
The agora was the centerof city-state life.
It was loud and crowded.
(05:28):
People would work, tradeor buy goods, meet friends,
and conduct business deals.
In truth, I am a bit of anagoraphobe; that’s someone who
is afraid of public spaces.
It comes from the Greekwords “agora” which
means meeting place and“phobia” which means fear.
It was at the agora where avendor cut into me to make
(05:52):
sure I was really made out ofsilver—he could’ve just asked!
You can still see a “testcut” that goes from the edge
of the coin almost all theway to my gorgeous wing!
From that day forward, Ihave been a bit nervous to
go into any market place.
But I had to be therebecause people needed me
(06:15):
to buy what they wanted.
In the Athenian agora,you could find goods from
around the Mediterranean.
There were dates fromPhoenicia, the softest linen
from Egypt, the brightestivory from North Africa, and
fragrant spices from Syria.
(06:35):
Merchants of similar goodshad shops together in
specific areas in the agora.
Prices were rarely set instone, so bargaining with the
merchants was a common practice.
I do remember one particularscreaming match over the size
of fish like it was yesterday.
(06:56):
Like today’s paper moneyand coins, I’ve been
passed around from vendorto buyer and back again.
I have been in many hands,strongboxes, and ships.
But on this day, I was inthe small, leather pouch
of a tough Spartan teenagerby the name of Daphne.
(07:18):
Daphne had traveled toAthens with her father,
a wealthy diplomat.
When Daphne arrived at theagora in Athens she was
shocked by the social norms.
In Athens, women had toshop with a male relative
or with an enslaved escort.
Only very poor womenwould shop in the markets
(07:39):
alone or sell goods.
This was not like Sparta atall, where women could shop on
their own whenever they wanted.
Sparta and Athens wereindependent Greek city-states,
each with their owngovernment and culture.
So while they shareda common language and
religion, there were alsomany little differences.
(08:03):
As Daphne discovered,alone in the agora!
Daphne felt eyes staring ather throughout the marketplace.
They could tell by her dressthat she was a well-off and
respectable young woman.
They knew sheshouldn’t be alone!
Many vendors even refusedher service unless she came
back with a male relative.
(08:24):
As I jiggled and jostled insideher loosely tied purse, I had
a feeling the next person torefuse Daphne was going to
meet real, true Spartan rage.
And who couldreally blame Daphne!
It wasn’t fair thatshe couldn’t shop alone
but her brother could.
(08:44):
Can you think of a timewhere something unfair
happened to you or a friend?
Maybe someone cut you in line,or copied from your homework?
How did that make you feel?
Probably as upset as Daphne!
Daphne was determinedto buy something.
Anything.
She approached a fishmongerand asked if he had any squid.
(09:07):
Without a word he retrievedthe tiniest squid in his
possession and attempted towrap it up for a potential sale.
Daphne couldn’t believehow disrespectful this was!
She could afford the best!
What was the meaning ofthis insulting gesture?
Daphne screamed at the man andtold him his catch was puny!
(09:31):
Without thinking, Daphne threwthe squid in the fishmonger’s
face and vowed never to returnto Athens or its agora with
its too many rules ever again.
The fishmonger was hotwith rage and began moving
from behind his fish stall.
Daphne knew thatit was time to RUN.
(09:54):
In the heat of the moment,I fell from Daphne’s purse
and onto the dirt path.
You see, Sparta forbid the useof valuable gold and silver
coins, so Daphne was not used tohandling them or making sure she
didn’t lose them in the hustleand bustle of a quick getaway!
(10:14):
The fishmonger, hot on Daphne’strail, stopped when he saw my
silver surface catch the light.
When he realized what wasin his hands, an Athenian
Owl, representing fourdays of pay for a Greek
soldier, he immediatelybegan to thank Athena for
her generosity and wisdom.
(10:37):
From then on thefishmonger kept me close.
A testament to the favorAthena showed him and
a reminder that seekingrevenge is never worth it!
He would have never found me ifhe’d kept running after Daphne.
And Daphne wouldn’t havelost me if she hadn’t
tried to get her revenge bythrowing that slimy squid.
(11:01):
And I was just relieved.
I didn’t have to go fromvendor, to buyer, to
purse for quite some time!
I was special.
A gift from a goddess.
Sometimes you just need a breakfrom the rat race, you know?
Host (11:29):
I hope you enjoyed learning about the agora
and Greek city-states.
Join us next time when a pairof feet illuminates our studio.
To see photographs of theowl coin and learn more,
visit our website at Gettydot edu slash podcasts.
This episode was writtenby Tocarra Elise and
(11:52):
produced by Zoe Goldman.
Dave Luukonnen voiced the owl.
Theme music, mixing and sounddesign by Alexandra Kalinowski.
Christopher Sprinkleis executive producer.
Special thanks to curatorsKen Lapatin and Judith Barr
and educator Lilit Sadoyan.
Catch you next time!
This is a Getty podcast.
Host (00:06):
If somebody asked you where an owl lived, you’d
probably say in a tree, right?
Well today’s guest mightbe an owl, but he lives
someplace unusual—on anancient coin to be precise.
Welcome to If Objects CouldTalk, a podcast where art
(00:26):
and artifacts get to leavethe museum vault and tell
their side of the story.
Thanks for joining us as webring objects into the light!
Quick question (00:35):
do you have any coins at home?
Maybe in a piggy bank ora few nickels and dimes
under your couch cushions?
If the answer is “no”don’t worry about it.
A lot of us only have moneyin the bank and use cards
or phones to pay for things.
(00:56):
But in ancient times, coinswere the hot, new way to pay.
The coin we’ll hear from todaywas made between 505–490 BCE.
It was made in Athens, Greecebut found far away, in Egypt.
I’ll let our owltell you the rest.
Owl Coin (01:21):
[marching] ATTENTION!
What an exciting opportunityto educate young minds on
what it means to be, well, me.
At ease, private.
Not only am I wise, andhumble, I am also very brave.
(01:42):
And why wouldn’t I be?
I’m important!
I’m currency!
Money!
The big cheese!
I helped people getthe things they wanted!
The things they needed!
But before we get to the whywe must know more about the
who, who-who [clears throat].
About the who.
First things first: I am adorable! (02:03):
undefined
It’s true!
I have two large eyes thattake up most of my face
and the cutest little beak.
Although I am made ofmetal, you can see my
tiny feathers covering mybody and crowning my head.
One of my majestic wings is onview as well as my three tail
(02:27):
feathers and two sturdy legs.
Above my body is an olive sprig.
Coins like me were amongthe most recognizable coins
in ancient times, used allover the Mediterranean and
produced in great numbers!
This means that I have a lotof brothers and sisters—and
(02:48):
it was basically a familyreunion when I went from
one coin purse to another!
I’m from Athens, one ofover one thousand Greek
city-states, although nonewere as large as Athens.
While I live on one sideof the coin, my other side
(03:09):
features the head of Athena.
She’s the Greek goddess ofwisdom and warfare, and also
the patron goddess of Athens.
We don’t really see eyeto eye, Athena and me.
Oh, we get along; I’dride into battle with
the great Athena any day!
(03:29):
It’s just literallyimpossible to see eye to
eye when she’s heads and I’mtail...feathers [laughs].
When you think about it,coins really haven’t changed
all that much over time.
I bet you can find a coinright now with an animal
(03:50):
on one side and the face ofsomeone important on the other.
Go!
Find it!
I’ll wait.
Yes, you can use the internet.
What coin did you find?
What country is it from?
What’s it made out of?
(04:10):
Well, I’m made out of silverwhich makes sense seeing as
there were silver mines in themountains outside of Athens.
I’m also heavier thanthe coins of today.
You want to know how I was made?
Well, it went a littlesomething like this…
First, you have toheat the silver.
It must be so hot that itturns into a bright liquid.
(04:35):
That molten metal is thenpoured into circular molds.
Once the molds cool, it istime to give the coins specific
images that project out fromthe flat surface of the coin.
To make the coin a trueAthenian Owl like me, a blank
disc was sandwiched betweena pair of cylinders with the
(04:56):
engraved designs on either side.
This was then struckwith a hammer!
Talk about a splitting headache!
The force of the hammerimpressed the designs into
the coin on both sides (05:08):
the majestic Athena on one side and
me, her loyal owl on the other.
It was a noisy process—butnot as noisy as the agora!
The agora was the centerof city-state life.
It was loud and crowded.
(05:28):
People would work, tradeor buy goods, meet friends,
and conduct business deals.
In truth, I am a bit of anagoraphobe; that’s someone who
is afraid of public spaces.
It comes from the Greekwords “agora” which
means meeting place and“phobia” which means fear.
It was at the agora where avendor cut into me to make
(05:52):
sure I was really made out ofsilver—he could’ve just asked!
You can still see a “testcut” that goes from the edge
of the coin almost all theway to my gorgeous wing!
From that day forward, Ihave been a bit nervous to
go into any market place.
But I had to be therebecause people needed me
(06:15):
to buy what they wanted.
In the Athenian agora,you could find goods from
around the Mediterranean.
There were dates fromPhoenicia, the softest linen
from Egypt, the brightestivory from North Africa, and
fragrant spices from Syria.
(06:35):
Merchants of similar goodshad shops together in
specific areas in the agora.
Prices were rarely set instone, so bargaining with the
merchants was a common practice.
I do remember one particularscreaming match over the size
of fish like it was yesterday.
(06:56):
Like today’s paper moneyand coins, I’ve been
passed around from vendorto buyer and back again.
I have been in many hands,strongboxes, and ships.
But on this day, I was inthe small, leather pouch
of a tough Spartan teenagerby the name of Daphne.
(07:18):
Daphne had traveled toAthens with her father,
a wealthy diplomat.
When Daphne arrived at theagora in Athens she was
shocked by the social norms.
In Athens, women had toshop with a male relative
or with an enslaved escort.
Only very poor womenwould shop in the markets
(07:39):
alone or sell goods.
This was not like Sparta atall, where women could shop on
their own whenever they wanted.
Sparta and Athens wereindependent Greek city-states,
each with their owngovernment and culture.
So while they shareda common language and
religion, there were alsomany little differences.
(08:03):
As Daphne discovered,alone in the agora!
Daphne felt eyes staring ather throughout the marketplace.
They could tell by her dressthat she was a well-off and
respectable young woman.
They knew sheshouldn’t be alone!
Many vendors even refusedher service unless she came
back with a male relative.
(08:24):
As I jiggled and jostled insideher loosely tied purse, I had
a feeling the next person torefuse Daphne was going to
meet real, true Spartan rage.
And who couldreally blame Daphne!
It wasn’t fair thatshe couldn’t shop alone
but her brother could.
(08:44):
Can you think of a timewhere something unfair
happened to you or a friend?
Maybe someone cut you in line,or copied from your homework?
How did that make you feel?
Probably as upset as Daphne!
Daphne was determinedto buy something.
Anything.
She approached a fishmongerand asked if he had any squid.
(09:07):
Without a word he retrievedthe tiniest squid in his
possession and attempted towrap it up for a potential sale.
Daphne couldn’t believehow disrespectful this was!
She could afford the best!
What was the meaning ofthis insulting gesture?
Daphne screamed at the man andtold him his catch was puny!
(09:31):
Without thinking, Daphne threwthe squid in the fishmonger’s
face and vowed never to returnto Athens or its agora with
its too many rules ever again.
The fishmonger was hotwith rage and began moving
from behind his fish stall.
Daphne knew thatit was time to RUN.
(09:54):
In the heat of the moment,I fell from Daphne’s purse
and onto the dirt path.
You see, Sparta forbid the useof valuable gold and silver
coins, so Daphne was not used tohandling them or making sure she
didn’t lose them in the hustleand bustle of a quick getaway!
(10:14):
The fishmonger, hot on Daphne’strail, stopped when he saw my
silver surface catch the light.
When he realized what wasin his hands, an Athenian
Owl, representing fourdays of pay for a Greek
soldier, he immediatelybegan to thank Athena for
her generosity and wisdom.
(10:37):
From then on thefishmonger kept me close.
A testament to the favorAthena showed him and
a reminder that seekingrevenge is never worth it!
He would have never found me ifhe’d kept running after Daphne.
And Daphne wouldn’t havelost me if she hadn’t
tried to get her revenge bythrowing that slimy squid.
(11:01):
And I was just relieved.
I didn’t have to go fromvendor, to buyer, to
purse for quite some time!
I was special.
A gift from a goddess.
Sometimes you just need a breakfrom the rat race, you know?
Host (11:29):
I hope you enjoyed learning about the agora
and Greek city-states.
Join us next time when a pairof feet illuminates our studio.
To see photographs of theowl coin and learn more,
visit our website at Gettydot edu slash podcasts.
This episode was writtenby Tocarra Elise and
(11:52):
produced by Zoe Goldman.
Dave Luukonnen voiced the owl.
Theme music, mixing and sounddesign by Alexandra Kalinowski.
Christopher Sprinkleis executive producer.
Special thanks to curatorsKen Lapatin and Judith Barr
and educator Lilit Sadoyan.
Catch you next time!
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