CHICKENS ON ANCIENT COINS

Chickens may seem ordinary today. However, in antiquity, they carried deep meaning.

Modern chickens descend from jungle fowl native to Southeast Asia. Archaeology shows that the Phoenicians introduced domesticated chickens to the Mediterranean around 2000 BCE. From there, their importance spread quickly.

At first, chickens symbolized wealth. Both meat and eggs counted as luxury foods. Soon after, they gained religious and cultural meaning.

By 700 BCE, chickens appeared in Western art. Corinthian pottery provides the earliest known depictions. Not long after, they entered the world of coinage.

And once they did, they stayed.

Sacred Chickens and Roman Superstition

Roman Republic Ingot circa 280-260, Æ 1461 g. Two chickens feeding and facing each other and below chickens' heads, an eight rayed star. Rev. Two tridents pointing inwards; between them, two dolphins snout to snout. Haeberlin pl 53, 1. Thurlow-Vecchi AS 24, pl. 23. Crawford 12/1. Numismatica Ars Classica Auction 52 7 October 2009 Lot: 201 realized: 130,000 CHF Approx. $125,847

The Romans took chickens seriously. In fact, they treated them as oracles.

Priests observed how sacred chickens ate. If the birds fed eagerly, the omen was good. If they refused, disaster might follow.

One famous story proves the point.

In 249 BCE, Roman admiral P. Claudius Pulcher prepared for battle at Drepana. Unfortunately, the sacred chickens refused to eat. That signaled danger. Pulcher ignored it. Instead, he mocked the birds and ordered them thrown overboard. He reportedly said, "Then let them drink."

He lost the battle.

This belief even appears in early Roman currency. A bronze aes signatum bar, dated c. 280–260 BCE, shows two feeding chickens . The piece weighs 1,461 grams (3.22 pounds). In 2009, it sold for over $125,000 in a Swiss auction .

Himera: A Rooster That Speaks in Wordplay

Circa 520/515-500 BC. Drachm (Silver, 20 mm, 5.44 g, 5 h). Rooster standing to right; border of dots. Rev. Hen standing to right in a square frame decorated with rays within an incuse square. de Luynes 970 (this reverse die). Kraay 151-157 var. A particularly well struck example, toned and attractive. Nearly extremely fine. Nomos Auction 35 – 15 June 2025 Lot: 131 realized: approx. $3,448

Greek cities often used animals as symbols. Himera, in Sicily, chose the rooster.

Founded around 648 BCE, Himera began striking silver coins circa 550 BCE. The metal likely came from Carthaginian traders.

The rooster symbol may not be random. It likely forms a pun. The Greek word for "day" is hemera. Roosters announce the dawn. Therefore, the bird reflects the city's name.

Himera also stood at the center of conflict. Two major battles took place there. The Greeks defeated the Carthaginians in 480 BCE . Later, Carthage destroyed the city in 409 BCE .

Collectors still prize these coins. In 2025, an archaic drachma sold for over $13,000 . Another example shows a hen in a square frame on the reverse .

To read the complete article, see:
Chickens On Ancient Coins (https://coinweek.com/chickens-on-ancient-coins-from-sacred-omens-to-civic-symbols/)

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