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about this passage.
from 'Reading the Money
Have you ever wondered if the designs on coins have special meanings?
Let's take a look at ancient Greek and Roman examples, as they greatly
influenced the coinage in circulation today. The ancients definitely wanted
their designs to communicate political and social messages. So, if we are
able to "read" these meanings, we can learn much about society as far back
as 2.500 years ago.
It's All in the Design
The engravings on Greek coins often identify where they were minted.
They also reference features associated with the city-states who used them.
For instance, the island of Aegina, off the southeast coast of Greece, was
widely known for its sea power. Adorning its silver currency were large
sea turtles that represented the island's naval strength.
Another example is a silver coin minted by the city-state of Thebes. It
had a large shield on one side. If you were an ancient Greek and saw the
shield, you would know immediately that it was meant to say: "Don't mess
with Thebes! We have a strong military!" Today, this coin offers information
about the shape and design of some typical Greek shields
Around 510 B.C. Athens changed its coinage to herald the beginning of
democracy. The new style showed Athena, the city's patron goddess, on one
side and her symbol, the owl, on the other side. The Athenians continued
using this design for more than 200 years, and their coins became one of
the most widely used currencies in the ancient world.
Digital image a
Open Content
This question has two parts. Answer Part A, and then
answer Part B.
Part A
Which statement best describes how paragraph 1
contributes to important ideas in the passage?
Part B
1. The paragraph introduces the idea that
coins have long been used as part of
economic systems.
2. The paragraph introduces the idea that we
are still discovering what coins from the past
can tell us.
3. The paragraph introduces the idea that the
appearance of coins has remained the same
for many years.
4. The paragraph introduces the idea that
coins in the past were used for more than
just economic purposes