Greek - Alexander III the Great -
Bronze 12mm Struck under Alexander the Great 336-323 B.C.
Reference: Sear 6745 var. -
Head of Hercules right, wearing the lion-skin headdress.
Hercules' weapons, bow and club, ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ in between, ear of corn above. -
* Numismatic Note: This is the smallest bronze coin Alexander the Great issued,
and it is quite rare, as it's ratio to the larger bronze coin is about one in
five thousand.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
Authenticity.
The immense issues of coinage made in the name of Alexander
the Great for a topic which could occupy the pages of a large volume. Obviously
it is not possible, in a work of this scope, to do justice to such a subject. As
in the case of Philip II, coinage in the name of Alexander continued long after
the king's death. No doubt this was largely due to the lack of an effective
successor to the imperial throne. Almost two decades were to elapse before
Alexander's generals, his true successors, felt sufficiently secure to take the
title of 'king' and to issue coinage in their own names. Although he began his
career as King of Macedon, Alexander spent only the first two years of his reign
in his native kingdom, and by the time of his death, at the age of thirty three,
he ruled a vast empire stretching from Greece to India. Consequently, his
coinage was on an imperial scale, unlike those of his predecessors, and was
struck at a multitude of mints in many lands, often replacing an existing
autonomous series. nevertheless, the macedonian mint of Amphipolis remained one
of the principal sources of currency. In later ages (3rd-2nd century B.C.) the
types of Alexander's silver coinage were revived by various cities as they
regained a measure of autonomy from the declining Hellenistic Monarchies.
Alexander III of Macedon, popularly known to history as Alexander
the Great, ("Mégas Aléxandros",
Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας or
Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος,[1])
was an
Ancient Greeki[›]
king (basileus)
of
Macedon. Born in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father
Philip II of Macedon to the throne in 336 BC, and died in
Bablyon in 323 BC at the age of 32.
Alexander was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and
it is presumed that he was undefeated in battle. By the time of his death, he
had conquered the
Achaemenid Persian Empire, adding it to Macedon's European territories;
according to some modern writers, this was much of the world then known to the
ancient Greeks (the 'Ecumene').[2][3]ii[›]
His father, Philip, had unified most of the
city-states of mainland Greece under Macedonian
hegemony in
the
League of Corinth. As well as inheriting hegemony over the Greeks, Alexander
also inherited the Greeks' long-running feud with the
Achaemenid Empire of
Persia. After reconfirming Macedonian rule by quashing a rebellion of
southern Greek city-states, Alexander launched a short but successful campaign
against Macedon's northern neighbours. He was then able to turn his attention
towards the east and the Persians. In a
series of campaigns lasting 10 years, Alexander's armies repeatedly defeated
the Persians in battle, in the process conquering the entirety of the Empire. He
then, following his desire to reach the 'ends of the world and the Great Outer
Sea', invaded India, but was eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny
of his troops.
Alexander died after twelve years of constant military campaigning, possibly
a result of
malaria,
poisoning,
typhoid fever, viral
encephalitis or the consequences of alcoholism. His legacy and conquests
lived on long after him and ushered in centuries of Greek settlement and
cultural influence over distant areas. This period is known as the
Hellenistic period, which featured a combination of
Greek,
Middle
Eastern and
Indian culture. Alexander himself featured prominently in the history and
myth of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. His exploits inspired a literary
tradition in which he appeared as a legendary
hero in the
tradition of
Achilles.
Alexander fighting Persian king Darius III. From Alexander
Mosaic, from Pompeii, Naples, Naples National
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