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The Authentic Silver Tetradrachm
Coin of
"Alexander, the Great" in the mouth of a Lion - Minted 336 - 323
B.C. in Silver. Alexander is famous as he was the first man to
conquer the world. Magnificent coin larger than today's USA
quarter and set in a hand made 18KT. Gold Pendant - Coin in Pendant
Bible Coin #2
- Call 713-539-9340 for price |
Coin Type: Ancient
Greek
Denomination: Tetradrachm
Ruler: Alexander III, The Great
Mint: Babylon
Country: Macedonia
Date: 336-323 B.C.
Metal: Silver
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Obverse: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion-skin.
Reverse: Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and scepter;
QA
ligate (joined together) and E at 9 0'clock in left field, oenochoe and
vine tendrils beneath,
ALE$
ANAPOY vertically and behind chair to the right.
The reference used for this
coin is The Coinage in the name of Alexander the Great and Philip
Arrhidaeus by Martin J. Price, number 1676.
Alexander III succeeded his father on the Macedonian throne.
In a reign of only thirteen years he was able to accomplish military
feats that stand unequaled to this day. By B.C. 330 he was already
the acknowledged leader of an empire that covered a million square
miles. Alexander was more than a military genius. He had
studied as a pupil of Aristotle and was familiar not only with strategy
and tactics, but mathematics and philosophy, art, literature and
theater. At his untimely death at the age of thirty-two, he was
King of the Greeks, Pharaoh of Egypt, ruler of Persia and King of Asia.
His coinage reflects the immense wealth he accumulated
during his conquests. For his silver coinage, Alexander chose the
universal types that would appeal not only to the Greeks but also
throughout his empire. The obverse head of Herakles wearing the
skin of a Nemean lion was a suitable type for the warrior king.
Herakles had also appeared on earlier Macedonian issues, for it was
through this hero that the Macedonian royal line could claim to be of
truly Greek descent. In the east, this figure could be equally
identified as the Phoenician Melqarth. The reverse type of Zeus
enthroned, holding an eagle and scepter, marks a continuation of the
depiction of Zeus on Philip's coinage as well as marking Alexander's
claim to be leader of the Greek states. In addition, Zeus in this
pose could be interpreted as the Cilician Baaltars and the Babylonian
Marduk.
The coin was so universally recognized that the mintage
of coins in the name of Alexander continued in various parts of the
Greek world until late in the first Century B.C., some two hundred years
after his death. There are over 4,000 mint symbols for silver
coinage of Alexander the Great. |
