Greek Coin Tetradrachm

Inv. No.: c015
Provenance: Alexander the Great
Date: 336-323 B.C.
Weight: 17.06g
 
Obv.: Herakles, wearing the skin of the Nemean lion.

Rev.: Zeus seated, eagle in right hand, sceptre in left hand; symbol, kylix.

The coin was struck in Babylon, which became the most important of the Alexandrian mints after Amphipolis. The abundant bullion seized by Alexander from the Persian treasuries at Susa and Persepolis helps to explain why the Babylon mint was so prolific: in a space of thirteen years it employed no fewer than 170 obverse and 500 reverse dies. The mintmark for Metropolis is a pointer to the importance of Babylon as the centre of Alexander Empire.

The choice of types is significant: Herakles and Zeus, besides being revered throughout Greece, had their counterparts elsewhere: Melqart in Phoenicia, Baal in Tarsus, and Gilgamesh and Bel-Marduk in Babylon. The coin, therefore, is a visible example of Alexander efforts to unify his Empire. Furthermore, Herakles was the legendary ancestor of the Macedonian royal house, and the Herakles type aptly symbolises Alexander own heroic achievements as an empire builder.

Presented by Mr A. Prentice and Dr R. Prentice in memory of Dr Una Prentice.

A similar coin, presented by Mr Gordon Story, has no discernible mintmark. Another has a well-worn reverse, except for the legend.

Comparanda:
Cf. AGC 498-499.