446 MONEY OF ATTICA. 



'X.a.Xx.om TO Xoiirov' a^yu^u yug ■^^u^iQoc. 



Ekv. 821. 



Pollux seems to doubt whether x^^^-o^" is here to be considered as 

 money or not ; but allowing that Aristophanes is really speaking of 

 silver, it is by no means a consequence from this supposition that gold 

 was unknown. A little attention to the true meaning and spirit of 

 the passage will explain this. 



He is alluding to the decree respecting the use of copper * money, 

 against which, in common with a large proportion of the Athenians, 

 he entertained a decided aversion ; and he adds, " it was proclaimed 

 that no one should receive it, for we use silver." The mention of 

 gold coin was here perfectly unnecessary, for such was the dispro- 

 portion in Attica between silver and any other species of money, 

 that it might with propriety be called the circulating medium of the 

 republic ; in like manner, a person might say that in England paper 

 notes had supplied the place of specie, but this would be merely in 

 allusion to their great abundance, without meaning to assert that the 

 use of the latter was unknown among us. There is also another 

 reason which induced Aristophanes to oppose silver to the copper 

 money, which is, tliat, by coining pieces of less dimension, they 

 might be so reduced in value as not to exceed that of copper, and 

 consequently render the use of the latter unnecessary. Accordingly 

 in the silver money of the Athenians, we find some coins of incredi- 

 ble minuteness ; several of which do not weigh more than two grains, 

 nor were more than a farthing in value. It was obviously for these 

 reasons that Aristophanes confined himself to the mention of silver in 

 opposition to the latter. 



The testimony of Pollux f is clear and decisive as to the existence 



* The copper money, which was cried down this year, Olym. 96. 4., had been in circu- 

 lation for nine years, for it was coined in Olym. 93. 3., as we learn from the scholiast on the 

 Ranae, v. 7S2. We find also that some copper money was in use in the time of Dionysius, 

 in Olym. 84. 4. — See Corsini, F. A. Diss. xii. 



f Pollux, ix. c. 6. Schol. in Equ. 1093. Another passage of similar import may be 

 seen in the Schol. oil Aves, 1 106. 



