Drachma, pl. drachmas or drachmae (δραχμή, pl. δραχμές or δραχμαί (until 1982)) is the name of: 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. An ancient currency unit found in many Greek city states and successor states, and in many Middle Eastern kingdoms of the Hellenistic era.
2. Three modern Greek currencies, the first introduced in 1832 and the last replaced by the euro in 2001 (at the rate of 340.750 drachma to the euro). The euro did not begin circulating until 2002 but the exchange rate was fixed on 19th June 2000, with legal introduction of the euro taking place in January 2002.

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Succession of states. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... “EUR” redirects here. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Ancient drachma

Drachma from Lucania, c. 535–510 BC

The name drachma is derived from the verb "δράττω" (dratto, "to grasp").^[1] Initially a drachma was a fistful (a "grasp") of six oboloi (metal sticks), which were used as a form of currency as early as 1100 BC. It was the standard unit of silver coinage at most ancient Greek mints, and the name 'obol' was used to describe a coin that was one-sixth of a drachma. Image File history File links SNGANS_1202. ... Image File history File links SNGANS_1202. ... For the mountain in Canada named after Lucania, see Mount Lucania. ... The obolus (or obol) is a Greek silver coin worth a sixth of a drachma. ...

The 5th century BC Athenian tetradrachmon ("four drachmae") coin was the most widely used coin in the Greek world prior to the time of Alexander the Great. It featured the helmeted profile bust of Athena on the obverse (front) and an owl on the reverse (back). In daily use they were called γλαῦκαι glaukai (owls), hence the phrase Γλαῦκ’ Ἀθήναζε, 'an owl to Athens', referring to something that was in plentiful supply, like 'coals to Newcastle'. The reverse is featured on the national side of the modern Greek 1 euro coin. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 5th century BC started on January 1, 500 BC and ended on December 31, 401 BC. // The Parthenon of Athens seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα - Athína) is the largest city and capital of Greece, located in the Attica periphery of central Greece. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ... List of Greek Phrases/Proverbs Αα (h)a AgeōmetrÄ“tos mÄ“deis eisitō. Let no-one without knowledge of geometry enter. Motto over the entrance to Platos Academy (quoted in Elias commentary on Aristotles Categories). ... Greek euro coins feature a unique design for every one of the eight coins. ...

Drachmas were minted on different weight standards at different Greek mints. The standard that came to be most commonly used was the Athenian or Attic one, which weighed a little over 4.3 grams.

After Alexander the Great's conquests, the name drachma was used in many of the Hellenistic kingdoms in the Middle East, including the Ptolemaic kingdom in Alexandria. The Arabic unit of currency known as dirham (in the Arabic language, درهم), known from pre-Islamic times and afterwards, inherited its name from the drachma; the dirham is still the name of the official currencies of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. The Armenian dram also derives its name from the drachma. Alexander the Great (Greek: ,[1] Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC–June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... cleopatra ruled seneca for 10 years before she ruled Egypt. ... Alexandria (Greek: , Coptic: , Arabic: , Egyptian Arabic: Iskindireyya), (population of 3. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ... Dirham is a unit of currency in several Arabic-speaking nations, including: Islamic Dirham The Moroccan dirham The United Arab Emirates dirham 1/1000 of the Libyan dinar 1/100 of the Qatari riyal 1/10 of the Jordanian dinar The dirham, spelt diram, is 1/100 of the Tajikistani... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Symbol: None 1/100th unit: luma USD exchange: 452 (July 2005) GBP exchange: 790 (July 2005) The Dram (AMD) is the monetary unit of Armenia. ...

Value of the ancient drachma

Tetradrachma from Athens about 490 BC.

It is generally considered very hard or even meaningless to come up with comparative exchange rates with modern currency due to the fact that the range of products produced economies of centuries gone by were very different from today, which makes Purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations very difficult. However, some historians and economists have estimated that in the 5th century BC a drachma had a rough value of 25 U.S. dollars (in the year 1990), whereas classical historians regularly say that in the heydays of ancient Greek (the fifth and fourth centuries) the daily wage for a skilled worker or a hoplite^[2] was one drachma, and for a juror half a drachma. Xenophon claimed (in "On Revenues") that half a drachma was the minimum required to provide a comfortable subsistence. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... The Purchasing power parity (PPP) theory was developed by Gustav Cassel in 1920. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 5th century BC started on January 1, 500 BC and ended on December 31, 401 BC. // The Parthenon of Athens seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west. ... Hoplites depicted on an Attic vase dated to 510-500 BC The Hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece. ... This article is confusing for some readers, and needs to be edited for clarity. ... Xenophon, Greek historian Xenophon (In Greek , ca. ...

As a rule of thumb, a modern person might think of one drachma as the rough equivalent of a skilled workers' daily pay in the place where they live (which could be as low as $1 USD, or as high as $100 USD, depending on the country). Thus, the idea of a 'handful of money' as used today and by the ancients (see above for etymology of 'drachma') pretty neatly coincide. Perhaps the most appropriate comparison is that with modern-day Athens, where a skilled worker without a university degree earns approximately 40 euro per day, net of taxes. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... “EUR” redirects here. ...

For the Roman successors of the drachma, see Roman provincial coins. Area of issue Roman Provincial coins are coins that were minted in the Roman Empire by civic authorities rather than by Imperial authorities. ...

Historic currency divisions

8 chalkoi = 1 obol

6 obols = 1 drachma

100 drachmae = 1 mina (or mna)

60 minae = 1 Athenian Talent (Athenian standard)

Minae and talents were never actually minted: they represented weight measures used for commodities (e.g. grain) as well as metals like silver or gold. The obolus (or obol) is a Greek silver coin worth a sixth of a drachma. ... A mina is an ancient Greek unit of weight defined as being 50 shekels. ... A mina is an ancient Greek unit of weight defined as being 50 shekels. ... The Attic talent was a unit of weight and a denomination of money equal to 6,000 drachmae or 60 minae. ...

Modern drachma

First modern drachma, 1832-1944

The drachma was reintroduced in 1832, soon after the establishment of the modern state of Greece. It replaced the phoenix at par. The drachma was subdivided into 100 lepta (λεπτά, singular lepton, λεπτό). Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Phoenix (Greek Φοίνιξ). The first currency of the modern Greek state. ... Lepton pl. ...

Coins

The first coinage consisted of copper denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 lepta, silver denominations of ¼, ½, 1 and 5 drachmae and a gold 20 drachmae. The drachma coin weighed 4.5 g and contained 90% silver, with the 20 drachmae coin containing 5.8 g of gold.

In 1868, Greece joined the Latin Monetary Union and the drachma became equal in weight and value to the French franc. The new coinage issued consisted of copper 1, 2, 5 and 10 lepta coins (with the 5 lepta coin bearing the name obolos (οβολός) and the 10 lepta, diobolon (διώβολον)), silver coins of 20 and 50 lepta, 1, 2 and 5 drachmae and gold coins of 5, 10 and 20 drachmae. (Very small numbers of gold 50 and 100 drachmae coins were also issued.) 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Latin Monetary Union (1865-1927) was a 19th century attempt to unify several European currencies into a single currency that could be used in all the member states, at a time when most national currencies were still made out of gold and silver. ... French Franc. ...

In 1894, cupro-nickel 5, 10 and 20 lepta coins were introduced, the 1 and 2 lepta having not been issued since the late 1870s. Silver coins were last issued in 1911 and no coins were issued between 1912 and 1922, during which time the Latin Monetary Union collapsed due to the First World War. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Between 1926 and 1930, a new coinage was introduced, consisting of cupro-nickel 20 and 50 lepta, 1 and 2 drachmae, nickel 5 drachmae and silver 10 and 20 drachmae coins. These were the last coins issued for the first modern drachma, with none being issued for the second.

Notes

In 1841, notes were issued by both the Bank of Greece and the National Bank of Greece. The latter took over issuance of paper money until 1928, when the Bank of Greece resumed production. Early denominations ranged from 10 up to 500 drachmae. Smaller denominations (1, 2 and 5 drachmae) were issued from 1885, with the first 5 drachmae notes being made by cutting 10 drachmae notes in half. Between 1917 and 1920, the Greek government issued paper money in denominations of 50 lepta, 1 and 2 drachmae. 1000 drachmae notes were introduced by the National Bank of Greece in 1917, followed by 5000 drachmae notes by the Bank of Greece after 1928. The Greek government again issued notes between 1940 and 1944, in denominations between 50 lepta and 20 drachmae.

During the German occupation of Greece (1941–1944), catastrophic hyperinflation and Nazi looting of the Greek treasury caused much higher denominations to be issued, culminating in 100 milliard (10¹¹) drachmae notes in 1944. Certain figures in this article use scientific notation for readability. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Milliard is a French-derived word meaning the number 1,000,000,000 (109; one thousand million or a megamillion). ...

Second modern drachmae, 1944-1954

In November 1944, after liberation from Germany, old drachmae were exchanged for new ones at the rate of 50,000,000,000 to 1. Only paper money was issued. The government issued notes of 1, 5, 10 and 20 drachmae with the Bank of Greece issuing 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 drachmae notes. This drachmae also suffered from high inflation. Later government issues were of 100, 500 and 1000 drachmae, whilst the Bank of Greece issued 20,000 and 50,000 drachmae notes. 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Third modern drachmae, 1954-2002

In 1953, in an effort to halt the inflation, Greece joined the Bretton Woods system. In 1954 the drachma was revalued for a second time at a rate of 1000 to 1. The new currency was pegged at 30 drachmae = 1 US dollar. In 1973, the Bretton Woods System was abolished; over the next 25 years the official exchange rate gradually declined, reaching 400 GRD = 1 USD. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

Coins

The first issue of coins consisted of holed, aluminium 5, 10 and 20 lepta, cupro-nickel 50 lepta, 1, 2, 5 and 10 drachmae and silver 20 drachmai pieces. In 1973 several new coin types were introduced: unholed, aluminium 10 and 20 lepta, nickel-brass 50 lepta, 1 and 2 drachmai and cupro-nickel 20 drachmai. Cupro-nickel 50 drachmae were introduced in 1980. In 1982, the spelling of the plural of drachma was changed from drachmae (δραχμαί) to drachmas (δραχμές). In 1986, nickel-brass 50 drachmas coins were introduced, followed by copper 1 and 2 drachmas in 1988 and nickel-brass 20 and 100 drachmas in 1990. In 2000 a set of 6 Olympic games themed 500 drachmas coins was issued.

Coins in circulation at the time of the adoption of the euro [1] were This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

• 1 drachma (.293 eurocents)¹
• 2 drachmas (.587 eurocents)¹
• 5 drachmas (1.47 eurocents)¹
• 10 drachmas (2.93 eurocents)
• 20 drachmas (5.87 eurocents)
• 50 drachmas (14.67 eurocents)
• 100 drachmas (29.35 eurocents)
• 500 drachmas (1.46 euro)

¹ Minted but rarely used. Usually, prices were rounded up to the next multiple of 10 drachmas.

Notes

The first issues of banknotes were in denominations of 10, 20 and 50 drachmae, soon followed by 100, 500 and 1000 drachmae by 1956. 5000 drachmas notes were introduced in 1984, followed by 10,000 drachmas in 1995 and 200 drachmas in 1997.

Banknotes in circulation at the time of the adoption of the euro [2] were A £20 Bank of England banknote. ...

• 100 drachmas, Athena, Adamantios Korais (29.35 eurocents)
• 200 drachmas, Rigas Feraios (58.69 eurocents)
• 500 drachmas, Ioannis Capodistrias (1.47 euros)
• 1000 drachmas, Apollo (2.93 euros)
• 5000 drachmas, Theodoros Kolokotronis (14.67 euros)
• 10,000 drachmas, George Papanicolaou, Asclepius (29.35 euros)

Helmeted Athena, of the Velletri type. ... Adamantios Korais (April 27, 1748 - April 6, 1833) was a graduate of the University of Montpellier in 1788 and he spent most of his life as an expatriate in Paris. ... Rigas Feraios Rigas Feraios or Rigas Velestinlis (Greek: Ρήγας Βελεστινλής-Φεραίος, born Αντώνιος Κυριαζής, Antonios Kyriazis; also known as Κωνσταντίνος Ρήγας, Konstantinos or Constantine Rhigas; Serbian: Рига од Фере, Riga od Fere; 1757—June 13, 1798) was a Greek revolutionary and poet, remembered as a Greek national hero, the forerunner and first victim of the uprising against the Ottoman Empire... statue of John Capodistria in Panepistimiou Street, Athens John Capodistria, (in Greek Ioannis Kapodistrias or Ιωάννης Καποδίστριας, and in Italian Giovanni Capo dIstria, Count Capo dIstria) (February 11, 1776 - October 9... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Ancient Greek , Apóllōn; or , Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros (a beardless youth), was the archer-god of medicine and healing, light, truth, archery and also a... Monument of Theodoros Kolokotronis in Athens Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis (Greek: . Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης, 3 April 1770 - 15 February 1843) was a Greek general in the Greek War of Independence against the rule of the Ottoman Empire. ... Categories: People stubs | 1883 births | 1962 deaths ... Asclepius (Greek also rendered Aesculapius in Latin and transliterated Asklepios) was the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology, according to which he was born a mortal but was given immortality as the constellation Ophiuchus after his death. ...

Gallery

1 drachma Image File history File links This is the back of the 1-drachma coin issued in Greece in 1973, depicting the Phoenix, emblem of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. ...	100 drachma coins - obverse Image File history File links Size of this preview: 431 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (843 × 1173 pixel, file size: 396 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Greek drachma User:Iago4096 ...	100 drachma coins - reverse Image File history File links Size of this preview: 446 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (850 × 1143 pixel, file size: 411 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Greek drachma User:Iago4096 ...	500 drachma coins - obverse Image File history File links Size of this preview: 413 × 397 pixelsFull resolution (413 × 397 pixel, file size: 56 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Greek drachma User:Iago4096 ...
500 drachma coins - reverse Image File history File links Size of this preview: 457 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (859 × 1126 pixel, file size: 400 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Greek drachma User:Iago4096 ...

In Pop Culture

The drachma was the official currency used by Count Duckula. Count Duckula is a fictional character, an anthropomorphic vegetarian vampire duck in the animated television series of the same name created by British studio Cosgrove Hall, and a spin-off from DangerMouse, a show in which an evil version of the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. ...

The "drachma" is also a fictional country in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. Serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan Original run February 2002 – still running No. ...

The drachma is an item in the game Daikatana. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• Commemorative coins of Greece
• Greek euro coins
• Seleucid coinage
• Dirham
• Economy of Greece

// Commemorative drachma coins Commemorative Greek drachma coins have been issued by the Bank of Greece throughout the 20th century. ... Greek euro coins feature a unique design for every one of the eight coins. ... The coinage of the Seleucid Empire is based on the coins of Alexander the Great which in turn was based on Athenian coinage of the Attic weight. ... Dirham is a unit of currency in several Arabic-speaking nations, including: Islamic Dirham The Moroccan dirham The United Arab Emirates dirham 1/1000 of the Libyan dinar 1/100 of the Qatari riyal 1/10 of the Jordanian dinar The dirham, spelt diram, is 1/100 of the Tajikistani... The Greek economy is growing fast after the implementation of stabilization policies in recent years. ...

References

Bust of Thucydides residing in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. ... Tenth-century minuscule Manuscript of Thucydidess History The History of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens). ...

External links

• Don's World Coin Gallery - Greece
• Ron Wise's World Paper Money - Greece ^{Mirror site}
• The Global History of Currencies - Greece
• Global Financial Data data series - Greece Drachma
• Global Financial Data currency histories table ( Microsoft Excel format)
• History of Greek Banknotes
• Overview of the modern Greek drachma from the BBC
• The Greek currency history Complete presentation of the Greek modern coins

1. ^  2001 by law, 2002 de facto.