| Sumario: | This article traces the effect of the entangled network of relations between the eastern and western Mediterranean on the introduction and development of coinage in the west. Particular focus is given to the role of Athenian owls and Corinthian-style pegasi within Sicily and Magna Graecia. Coinages from the eastern Mediterranean affected the type, form and fabric of coinage adopted by cities in the west, and formed a source of bullion for new coins. The significant number of Corinthian-style pegasi travelling to Sicily and Magna Graecia over a long period of time suggests that the presence of these coinages in the region should be linked to trade, and that eastern Greek coins were traded as a commodity for their silver content in exchange for grain and other goods. The legacy of Alexander the Great and then the gradual rise of Rome from the mid-third century BCE disturbed this network, but nonetheless it is likely that eastern coinages (now the issues of Hellenistic kings) continued to form a source of bullion for the west, which was increasingly controlled by Rome and Roman currency.
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