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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;dougsmit, post: 1411366, member: 19463&quot;]While I agree with the medoraman answer, the most common and well known system was based on the drachm which often had a 4 drachm (tetradrachm) and half drachm (hemidrachm).&nbsp; For smaller change, there was the 1/6 drachm called the obol which also had fractions in various systems and sometimes multiples like the trihemiobol (3/2 obol = 1/4 drachm) or diobol (2 obols = 1/3 drachm).&nbsp; Various places that used the system made different coins from different metals (there are silver obols and bronze obols).&nbsp; This was one basic system but other places used other systems with names like stater or litra and, guess what, they had fractions and multiples as well.&nbsp; Now you know why medoraman gave a short answer.&nbsp; My answer above is less than half complete of fewer than half of the more common systems.</p><p><br /></p><p>A big mistake made by beginners is thinking of antiquity as some sort of consistent and organized unit.&nbsp; There is no answer to any question: &quot;How did the ancients do it?&quot;&nbsp; If you want to know how the ancient Athenians of the 5th century BC did it, we might answer but the Athenians a few years later and another city a few miles down the road did it differently.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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