This drachm was struck during the first half of the 5th century BC in Gaza. The city belonged to the Persian Empire then, yet the coin bears the head of the Greek goddess Athena and her attribute, the owl – the coin images of the famous and powerful Greek city of Athens, who was, after all, the archenemy of the Persian Great King. At that time, the tetradrachms of Athens were the most important trade coins of the Mediterranean. Through trade the cities of the Persian Empire came in contact with those tetradrachms, which were commonly known as "owls," and soon began to issue their own coins after the Athenian models. The Persian Great King not only tolerated this obvious imitation of the Athenian owls, but even promoted local minting activities in his cities – in the knowledge that in the long term, trade generates prosperity for everybody.