Museum of the History of Cypriot Coinage

Walking on the streets in the city centre, looking for  new and  interesting places,  I found the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. With the curiosity of an economist I couldn’t resist the temptation to enter even if my final destination had to be different.

No one was inside so I started to look around, first I entered in a room where it was a photo exhibition. The photo below captured my attention, even if it may seem sad, for  me, the message of the picture  of that girl crying and walking with a straight –ahead look, it was power and hope.

I left the exhibition and continued to search the building, looking for something more specific for a bank. It doesn’t take so long  and like magic I discover  The Museum of the History of Cypriot Coinage, the perfect thing for an economist in the process of discovering a new country.

Visiting this museum I found out that Cyprus was a rich copper-producing island situated along the   trade and sea routes between the Aegean and the Central Mediterranean, Egypt and the Near East. The island of Cyprus played a major role in the distribution of goods throughout the Late Bronze Age. The process and trade of copper were the foundation of the economy and wealth of Cyprus.

The copper ingots were used as a unit of weight and value and the Cypriot coinage appeared sometime during the  final three decades of  the  6^th century BC. The first coins were entirely made of silver followed a local weight standard.  The images impressed on the coins were often accompanied by legends in the Cypriot alphabet  and in some cases in the Phoenician alphabet.

I  have patiently watched at the 500  coins that are  presented in nine chronological periods, looking for  my favorite one . It was difficult to chose, but those which most attracted my attention were the commemorative ones.The first commemorative coin it was issued in 1970 with the 25^th  anniversary of the  Food Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

If you are also interested about the coins and their history in Cyprus you should also visit the Museum of History of Cypriot Coinage located in the building of Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. There you can also found other  museums and collections, the entrance is free and  the schedule is :

Monday – Sunday: 10:00-19:00 

Location:  86-90 Phaneromenis Str., 1011