Western Civilization I / Unit 2 WC1 0119 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Lydia Invents Coinage, About 650 BCE
Captions available
The idea
Lydia in western Anatolia struck the first coins about six fifty B.C.E., the stater. Coins let merchants travel light and let rulers tax more easily, and the idea spread through the Greek cities Lydia bordered.
In practice
The Midas legend attaches to Lydia's gold.
Where people slip
The date rests on the anchor alone; no witness dates the first coins.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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