v08_0043 - AEGINA - AEGINA ISLAND - AEGINA Statère

AEGINA - AEGINA ISLAND - AEGINA

(6th - 5th century BC)

The city of Aegina is located on the island of the same name. It is placed equidistant between Athens and the coast of Argolis. It was in Aegina that the first coins of the West were minted in the 6th century BC. Its geographical and economic situation was to make it a commercial place of primary importance at the crossroads between Euboea, Athens, Corinth and the Peloponnese. The Aeginetic Stallion (from Aegina) quickly spread throughout the Aegean Sea, Greece, Crete and part of Asia Minor. Coinage does not seem to have started before the second half of the 6th century BC. Unfortunately, after the Persian Wars, the city found itself eclipsed by Athens, which captured it in 457 BC. The Aeginetans were driven out by the Athenians. Aegina regained its freedom only after the fall of Athens, but it had definitely lost its economic power..