Propaganda ART in coins

[DrLarry]

From the earliest coins designs have been used to make statements that the state controls the weights of precious metals and therefor trade both internally and externally.  How have these decisions on how much one lump of gold is worth in one place get translated around the world in ancient time and more recently in standardised ways?  The two central characters in the earliest coinage Lydian (according to Herodotus) the people of Asia Minor placed a lion and some other sacrificial animal on the first gold coins.  What is the significance of these animals?  Later coin designs represent Kingship as close to Gods and in most ancient cultures the head of the state usually had a significant role in the core religious rights.  Coins reflect some important methods to put forward propaganda kingship and or religion.  can we have a discussion on this very broad topic please?  

my interest is as coins as small portable pieces of art, but most including all of ours since late saxon times also fulfill propaganda purposes at the same time.  

[Peckris]

I'm not sure how the values of precious metals were established, but I would guess by market forces. Certain Roman emperors and Tudor monarchs - with varying degrees of slyness - reduced the silver content of coins, to reduce mintage costs or clear debts. If they had simply been able to declare that silver was worth more than it had been, and reduce the content in the coinage openly, I'm sure they would have done so.

[DrLarry]

Yes I am sure they would have done so too.  I am not sure how old the measurement of 1 grain is is it the weight on one grain of wheat of barley? I think in the early gold staters the value was also indicated by how "complete" the lion was so a half stater had half a lion pictured.  I assume trading governments must have developed a standard in grups like the Hellenic League or the Athenian Power base.  I wonder if it was originally a religious order relating to metal working or smelting metal who would have made the first decisions.  The fact that coinage is so linked to the gods and often is our only sources of great lost works of art like the statue of Zeus at Olympia and THe statue of Athena in the Atheneum and Parthenon.  The early egyptians did not have coinage for thousands of years but they were traders 

2 hours ago, Peckris said:

I'm not sure how the values of precious metals were established, but I would guess by market forces. Certain Roman emperors and Tudor monarchs - with varying degrees of slyness - reduced the silver content of coins, to reduce mintage costs or clear debts. If they had simply been able to declare that silver was worth more than it had been, and reduce the content in the coinage openly, I'm sure they would have done so.

 

[DrLarry]

Gold Staters :  has anyone ever read anything on the topic of these earliest Lydian coins that looks at the reverse indented side of the coins rather than the obvious design?  I am intrigued to know if there is any significance and if there are any inverse moulds of the "hammer" marks?