Coins have been in use since their creation in ancient Lydia in the early 6th century BCE. Stamped by the state to guarantee value and be recognisable as genuine, coins allowed goods and services to be bought without the necessity of barter. States stamped symbols that became internationally recognised such as the owls of Athens and the palm trees of Carthage. Rulers were quick to see that coins could be used as a form of propaganda, spreading their likenesses to distant provinces within their empires. One of the great survivors of the ravages of time thanks to the incorruptible metals they were often made from, coins, as can be seen in this chronological gallery of 40 pieces, give a unique insight into the politics, religions, and social customs of those peoples who originally handled them in their everyday lives.
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