Alexander the Great Gold Stater

£ 3,250.00

A pristine Ancient Greek gold stater, struck under Alexander the Great, King of Macedon. The reverse features the profile of the Greek goddess Athena, portrayed facing right, with crested Corinthian helmet, decorated with a coiled serpent; the obverse displays the winged goddess Nike, shown standing, facing left, wearing a long-draped chiton and holding in her left hand a stylis and a laurel wreath with her right hand, a Classical symbol of victory. The stylis, a part of the stern of a Greek ship, might have alluded to the victory of the Greeks against the Persians at Salamis in 480 BC. The deity is flanked to the right side by Greek letters forming the word ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟY, meaning Of Alexander. A spear pointed upwards in the left field. Salamis mint, circa 332-323BC. Weight:8.53 g.

Date: Circa 332-323BC
Condition: Extremely fine, exceptional piece.

SOLD

Product Code: GS-64
Category: Tag:

Alexander the Great was the legendary king of the Hellenistic Kingdom of Macedon. Born in 356 BC, he succeeded his father, Philip II, when he was just 20 years old. In just 10 years from his ascension to the throne, he built one of the largest empires of the Ancient World, as his kingdom stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River. He died in Babylon, which he intended to make the capital of his empire, in 323 BC, at just 33 years of age. After his untimely death, Alexander’s empire was divided amongst his successors, usually his generals or close family, who continued to mint Alexander coins. Gold staters, together with silver tratradrachms, were the principle denominations under Alexander the Great. However, unlike the tetradrachms, which depicted to the reverse and obverse two powerful male gods, Herakles and Zeus, the gold staters hold the depictions of the goddesses Athena and Nike.

To learn more about the coins of Alexander The Great, please visit our relevant blog post: An Introduction to the Coins of Alexander The Great.

Dimensions W 1.8 cm
Metal

Gold

Region

Southern Europe

Greek & Hellenistic Rulers

Alexander the Great

Greek Mythology

Athena, Nike

Reference: For a similar item, The British Museum, item RPK,p77B.19.AleIII.