In the kingdom of Lydia, in western Turkey, around 600 BC goldsmiths began to stamp small lumps of electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver, with a lion's head and other marks guaranteeing weight and purity. They were found in the foundations of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Under King Croesus, in the mid-sixth century, the Lydians introduced separate gold and silver coins, and his name became a byword for wealth. The idea of coinage spread quickly to the Greek cities and Persia, and made trade easier by replacing the weighing of metal.
Before and after
- 620 BCEBirth of Aesop
- 7th century BCEIntroduction of tetradrachm
- 7th century BCEConstruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- 7th century BCERise of Nyaya
- c. 601 BCEThe Lydians mint the first coins
- c. 600s BCEPhoenician sailors circumnavigate Africa, according to Herodotus
- from 600 BCE to 500 BCEArchaic Greece
- 600 BCEFounding of Milan
- 600 BCEBirth of Cyrus the Great
More in Society, economy & sport
- from 550 BCE to 366 BCEFounding of Peloponnesian League
- 5th century BCEFounding of Aetolian League
- from 4th century BCE to 4th centuryFounding of Library of Alexandria
- from 280 BCE to 146 BCEFounding of Achaean League
- 167 BCERise of Maccabees
- 23 February 303 CEThe Great Persecution of Christians begins
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 7th century BCE.