These tiny fractions circulated during Athens' imperial peak, when the city used tribute from Delian League allies to fund both the Parthenon and an increasingly aggressive naval policy. The obol was the daily wage reference point for unskilled labor and jury service — Athenian citizens received two obols per day for dikastic pay under Pericles, later raised to three. That stipend made democratic participation financially viable for the poor, and these coins passed through thousands of hands funding exactly that system.
The date range closes with the catastrophic defeat of 404 BC, when Sparta's victory ended Athenian imperial control and the tribute flow that sustained such prolific silver coinage.
These tiny fractions circulated during Athens' imperial peak, when the city used tribute from Delian League allies to fund both the Parthenon and an increasingly aggressive naval policy. The obol was the daily wage reference point for unskilled labor and jury service — Athenian citizens received two obols per day for dikastic pay under Pericles, later raised to three. That stipend made democratic participation financially viable for the poor, and these coins passed through thousands of hands funding exactly that system.
The date range closes with the catastrophic defeat of 404 BC, when Sparta's victory ended Athenian imperial control and the tribute flow that sustained such prolific silver coinage.