Alexander the Great Silver Tetradrachm with Zeus

£ 130.00

A flat formed Ancient Greek silver tetradrachm, featuring to the obverse the depiction of Alexander the Great as young Herakles, portrayed in profile wearing the Nemean lion’s skin headdress (now partially faded). The reverse displays the Greek god Zeus Aëtophoros shown bare chested and regally seated on a throne. The deity appears holding an eagle and a long sceptre. The deity is flanked to the right side by Greek letters forming the word ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟY, meaning Of Alexander. The Greek letters AΣ / KΓ form the monogram in the left field. Aspendons mint.

Date: Circa 190/189 BC
Condition: Fine with some dark patina to the surface. Some details have faded.

SOLD

Product Code: GS-62
Category: Tag:

The Greek tetradrachm (τετράδραχμον) was the name given to the currency of Ancient Greece, equivalent to four drachmae, the ancient unit of measurement used in many Greek city-states and in many Middle Eastern kingdoms of the Hellenistic period. 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.

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 L 3 cm
Metal

Silver

Greek & Hellenistic Rulers

Alexander the Great

Greek Mythology

Herakles

Reference: For a similar item, The Metropolitan Museum, accession number 1978.93.21.