Obolus
An obolus ( ancient Greek ὀβολός obolós "obol, [general for] small coin"; plural ὀβολοί oboloi ) was a silver coin with a value of one sixth drachm in ancient Greece . Six thousand drachmas were a talent of silver.
Word meanings
The word is derived from ὀβελός obelós "(roast) spit". Since coins were initially not minted round and with the image, but were simply small, pointed pieces of metal ( hacked silver ), they were also called "skewers". From the Greek word Obolos was in Latin of obolus that as borrowing came into German. The linguistically related term obelisk also denotes a pike-like shape.
The spelling “Obulus” is also common in German .
In addition to the Greek coin, a small amount of money , a fee , a donation , a tip or a bribe is called an obolus in the figurative sense . The expression can be found, for example, in the idiom make one's obolus , which means something like “make a contribution”.
Even in the Middle Ages there were small coins in various European countries, which were called obolus (also obol ). They were worth half a denarius (= penny). (See also Sachsenpfennig - Münzfuß )
The coins of the Ionian Islands minted in 1819 were also called oboloi. The 5 and 10 lepta coins minted since 1869 also had the terms “obolos” and “two obolon” as additional denominations.
Funeral custom
The term has survived to this day, among other things, because it plays a role in Greek mythology . The small coin, called Charonspfennig, was placed under the tongue of the dead as a grave before they were buried in ancient Greece . It served as ferry money for the ferryman Charon for the crossing of the dead across the River Styx into the realm of the dead of Hades .
literature
- Tyll Kroha : collect coins. A guide for collectors and enthusiasts. Klinkhardt & Biermann, Braunschweig 1961, 1968, Munich 1985 (6th edition). ISBN 3-7814-0249-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Wilhelm Pape : Greek-German Concise Dictionary . 3. Edition. Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig 1914 (6th reprint of the 3rd edition from 1880).
- ^ Günter Schön / Jean-Francois Cartier, 19th century world coin catalog, Greece No. 38 and 39