Coin producing cities throughout the Mediterranean and as far East as India can be considered, to some degree, Greek. While hardly correct, there seems to be a tendency to classify all ancient coins that are not Roman as Greek. Greek colonies were founded throughout the Mediterranean. These cities were thoroughly Greek in culture. Cities in Southern Italy and Sicily produced some of the most famous 'Greek' coins.
Collectors separate Greek coins into periods by date.
This page will discuss Greek coins while a second covers coins that are sometimes included in books on Greek coins but that are better considered separately. Example coins will be discussed introducing terms as they become appropriate. Generally produced before the middle of the 5th century BC, Archaic coins are characterized by thick, often lumpy, fabric frequently with a simple punch mark on the reverse of the coin. The stater is one of the common denominations of Greek coins but several different weight standards were used across the Greek world so not all coins termed 'staters' are the same weight. The design on a coin is termed the type .