Why did the Athenians create more money by decreasing gold and silver coin content during the Peloponnesian war?

Athenian money…defined a pattern which was to repeat in other empires which were to follow;

 

dominance of trade,

influx of gold to balance exports,

public wealth,

liberty,

overconfidence,

 

the discovery of loosely managed money as a stimulating solution to stagnation in an economy near its zenith…before finally the emptiness of the monetary promise was exposed, leading to rapid national collapse.

 

Paul Tustain