Coin Maker

While the use of coinage probably originated in Lydia, Asia Minor, the Greeks rapidly adopted and used it to pay for barbarian mercenaries and goods from the west. Although these coins had little meaning in barbarian economies, they were most likely seen as exotic symbols of status. Thus when the arts of striking and casting arrived, they were primarily used to make exact copies of Greek coins - especially the common Philippian and Alexandrian motifs. When the economic significance of coins became apparent to them, local barbarian smiths began to incorporate native styles and increasingly abstract subjects such as giants, severed heads and gods.