Athenian Owl Coins (512 BCE Onwards)

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

(Med Text 34.1) A slightly later version of the coin replacing the middle letter theta with an ayin. This would become the standard coin. Photo originally from: Roma Numismatics Ltd, Auction XX, Lot 104. www.romanumismatics.com

(Med Text 34.1) Another early internation owl coin. Photo from NG coins at: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/2245/Ancients-Owls-Through-the-Years---A-Look-at-the-Evolution-of-Athenian-Tetradrachms/

(Med Text 34.1) This coin is likely one minted outside of Greece because it shows the original Runic Akkadian writing direction of right to left. Photo originally from: Roma Numismatics Ltd, Auction XX, Lot 104. www.romanumismatics.com

Archaic Era Athenian Owl Silver Tetradrachms (512-490 BCE

(July 11, 2023, updated July 26, 2025) Owls could be either harbingers of fate from the starry night sky or a mechanism to counter that fate with emotion magic. Each type has a different Druid Akkadian word. Emotion power owls are the Akkadian word akû while the astrological harbinger of fate is the Akkadian word ḫū’u.

Overall, these coins state that emotion magic is ineffective against the powers of fate. This controversy about the effectiveness of emotion magic is one which existed throughout Druid history. Many runic texts take one side or the other.

The other side of the coin shows a warrior goddess which in the post Druid era was interpreted as the the goddess Athena. But this image started out as an image of the Druid hermaphrodite deity Thu who represented the manifestation of emotional powers on earth, most commonly the powers of sex which integrate emotions with fertility. Consequently, Thu crossed the boundaries of the life and motion powers so Thu was usually represented as an hermaphrodite who crossed gender lines. The emotions of could hate also end life hence Thu was also often portrayed as a warrior.

Notice the olive branch behind the owl which was the source of Athens' prosperity prior to its silver mine. Because it is on the non-warrior side of the coin it came to represent peace.

Translation in Akkadian of Ayin Containing Text (Med Text 34.1)

(read top to bottom. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs in italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words)
Chart Used: Aegean Lineage, Letter style is Aegean

A' E (Med 34.1)

In English.

Emotion-power's are ineffective

A good introducltion to the Athenian owl coins. Just look past their lack of linguistic expertise and resultant lack of knowledge of the ancient world.

(Med Text 34.2) A rare and early Athenian owl coin type actually has the letter teth (Greek theta) between the A and E instead of an ayin indicating people knew the difference between the letters. So this actually spells Athe meaning "Those Thu powers" after the patron motion power god of Athens, Thu. This type of owl coins was probably only used locally while the more spiritual coin was used internationally. Tetradrachm (22mm, 17.16 grams). Picture online at: https://www.numisbids.com/n.php?p=lot&sid=6823&lot=106

Rare Owl Coin Having The Letter Theta

(Updated July 26, 2025) The hermaphrodite deity Thu was the connective motion power of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm. This text is stating that the owls of fate make the emotion magic of Thu ineffective.

A Ṭu E (Med 108)

In English.

This makes Thu ineffective

(Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)

Top image shows the early style while the bottom image shows the later style appearing after 400 BCE. The later style has smaller edges and adds a crescent moon to the back of the owl. While the owl represented the Druid motion power class the crescent moon represented life power class via its crescent moon goddess Ayu.
Photos from NG coins at: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/2245/Ancients-Owls-Through-the-Years---A-Look-at-the-Evolution-of-Athenian-Tetradrachms/

Bottom photo shows the owl at the Acropolis museum in Athens (Olmsted photo 2019)

Transition to the Later Owl Coin Style 512 BCE - 100 CE

(July 3, 2022, Updated June 11, 2025)

Early coins are characterized by their thick planchets (edges). These coins were introduced by the Athenian king Hippias and supported by a seemingly limitless supply of silver from the newly discovered silver mines at nearby Laurium. Notice the olive branch behind the owl which was the source of Athens' prosperity prior to its silver mine.

Translation of Early and Later Motion-Power Owl Coins In Akkadian (Med Text 109)

(read top to bottom. Capital letters on stone. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs in italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words)
Chart Used: Aegean Lineage, Letter style is Aegean

A'u E

In English

Emotion powers are ineffective

References

Michael Beall (July 23, 2020) Being Wise About Owls: The Athenian Owl Tetradrachm. in Coin Week. Online at: https://coinweek.com/being-wise-about-owls-the-athenian-owl-tetradrachm/

(September 15, 2024) Close-up of the hermaphrodite deity Thu on the Etruscan tomb of Orcus (490 BCE) which was also made during some drought years. Notice the similarities of hair style with the goddess Athena on the coins. Athena also had male characteristics as she was often shown wearing armor.

The right label reads (right to left):

The Controllers (Su, Selu) cause emotional-affects. : The openings (of rain through the sky-shell) are not being influenced by those.

The left label reads (right to left):

Energy elevates ....

(Med Text 34.1) These are early classical era owl coins dating to 490-454 BCE. Top photo is from NG coins at: https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/2245/Ancients-Owls-Through-the-Years---A-Look-at-the-Evolution-of-Athenian-Tetradrachms/
Bottom Photo from Classical Numismatic Group, LLC, www.cngcoins.com

Classical Era Athenian Owl Coins (490 - 404 BCE)

(July 3, 2022) The coins now become more refined and include an image of the crescent moon behind the owl. The cresent moon represents the life power connective goddess of Ayu. So now the coin balances motion powers with life powers.

(Med Text 34.1) Late Classical era coins were heavily used internationally so these are the most common Athenian owl. They date to 454 to 404 BCE.

This is the first Athenian Silver Tetradrachm coin. The tetra prefix indicates it is equivalent to 4 drachma coins. These Tetradrachms are suppose to weigh about 16 grams.
An ancient dram, (drachm) according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is a unit of weight in both the old apothecaries’ and avoirdupois systems. An apothecaries’ dram is the closest to the ancient system. It contains 3 scruples (3.888 grams) of 20 grains each and is equal to one-eighth apothecaries’ ounce of 480 grains.
Original photo from Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG, Auction 77, Lot 43. Taken from: https://coinweek.com/the-tetradrachms-of-athens-and-athena/

Reference

https://www.britannica.com/science/dram

The First Athenian Silver Tetradrachm (515 BCE)

(July 11, 2023) Taking a cue from the Lydian sun lion and storm bull coin which contrasted chaotic versus orderly powers, the Athenians with their silver mine at Laurium (Lavrio) did something similar. They contrasted the sun lion (healthy sun) with a drought causing sick sun which later came to be called the Gorgon.

This coin seems to have been the first coin ever struck to have an engraved design on both sides (obverse and reverse, heads and tails).

The mine at Laurium seems to have been a source of silver as early as 2000 BCE. Commercial level production commenced in 483 BCE with the discovery of rich vein of silver in the vicinity of modern Ag. Konstantinos, otherwise known as Maronia. The mines were rented out to various individuals for a fixed percentage of the production. The most difficult work, including the extracting underground ore came to be done by slaves. This suggests the right to mine was opened up to open bidding. Those able to mine the cheapest and promise the state the highest percentage got the contract

References

Lavrion Ancient Silver Mines. Online at: https://ancient-greece.org/archaeology/lavrion.html

Shutterfly, Michael (Dec 16, 2020) The Tetradrachms of Athens (and Athena). Online at: https://coinweek.com/the-tetradrachms-of-athens-and-athena/

Reference: Calf-Bearer Text is an Important Linguistic Reference For Translating These Athenian Owl Coins

(September 15, 2024) Letter assignments added by Olmsted. The text style is a mix of Etruscan and Aegean. It shows that both the letter signs representing ' (Ayin) and Ṭ (Teth/Theta) were in use in Athens between 512 and 480 BCE.

The body of this statue was found on the Athen’s acropolis in 1864. Its base with the feet was found later in the same general area in 1887. Consequently, they are assumed to go together. Its style is the Kouros style popular before the golden age of Athens between 480 - 404 BCE. It is now located in the Acropolis Museum in Athens at https://theacropolismuseum.gr/en/male-statue-its-base-calf-bearer

Calf-Bearer Text From the Pre-Parthenon Acropolis of Athens (480 BCE) Clearly Seperates the Letters Ṭ (teth) and ' (ayin)

(Jan 28, 2023, Updated December 18, 2024) In September 480 BCE the Persian army led by king Xerxes I burned Athens and destroyed the old Acropolis. This destruction was one component of the Greek - Persian War which began in 492 BC as the culmination of the civil strife caused by the drought of 499 and the resulting Ionian revolt. The war lasted until 449 BC. This statue existed on the old acropolis as it existed prior to the building of the Parthenon. It indicates that some divine power was blocking the fertility-fluids which triggers the release of rain and spring water (emanations), and the creation of life forms. The mentioned "boundary" is the sky-shell and the middle layer of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm. This text also mentions the astrological owls which add motion powers (fluid flow) to the fertility-fluids.

In terms of linguistics this is also an important text because it demonstrates that the letter Ṭ (teth, theta) was different from the letter ' (ayin) at this time and place.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 6.1)

(read right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs in italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words)
Chart Used: Aegean Lineage, Letter style is a mix of Etruscan and Aegean.

[1]Mu Ba'u ZiPu Mu. EṬu EKu EMu | Ḫu'u [2]W Le'u

In English

[word] is nesting the casting of fertility-fluids. The boundary (sky-shell) is supervising the starvation. | Astrological-owls [1 or 2 words] fate.

Owl Coins Found in the Levant Dating Between 0 and 70 CE

(June 13, 2025) These seem to some of the last owl coins minted and they seem to have been minted during the runup to the Roman Jewish war which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 110)

E'u ELu E

In English

Yahu's high-powers can be ineffective

Reference

Gitler, Haim (2011 ) The Earliest Coin of Judah. In Israel Numismatic Research. Published by the Israel Numismatic Society, Volume 6

(June 13, 2025) These seem to some of the last owl coins minted and they seem to have been minted during the runup to the Roman Jewish was which resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 6.2)

ALu E'u E

In English

Alu's Yahu can be ineffective

Reference

Gitler, Haim (2011 ) The Earliest Coin of Judah. In Israel Numismatic Research. Published by the Israel Numismatic Society, Volume 6

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