Alexander the Great
King of Macedon (336-323 BC)
Alexander the Great was one of the most successful military commanders
in history and was undefeated in battle. He had conquered most of the
world known to the Greeks. He spread Greek coinage throughout the
empire that stretched from Eygpt to India and north to Samarkland. The
silver Tetradrahm and the Drachm coins were minted and in circulation
for hundreds of years, well after Alexander's death.
The portrait on the front of the coin is Hercules wearing a lion's skin. On the reverse is a picture of Zeus enthroned, in his outreached right hand an eagle stands and his left hand rests on a septer.
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| Alexander the Great 2nd Century Tetradrachm |
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How Ancient Coins Were Made
Unlike modern coins that have millions of identical strikes you will rarely see two identical ancient coins. This is because each coin was struck by hand, with different alignments, different pressures, and sometimes different temperatures each strike.
The bronze or steel die was engraved with complex designs and images. The flan, or the preheated coin blank, was heated to a point slightly lower than the melting point of the metal, and it was placed with thongs between the anvil and punch dies. The punch die was struck with a hammer to impress the metal between the dies, thus creating the coin. Over time the dies would wear out and new ones made.
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What is Written on the Roman Coins
Text, or legends on the coins hold the key to being able to identify Roman coins. With practice we can read the lettering and attribute the emperors, date and mints. It is helpful to know some of the abbreviations, such as, IMP, which means Emperor, CAES for ceasar, PM for Pontifex Maximinus, PF for Pontis Felix, Aug for Augustus— the most distinctive title.
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Major Categories of Ancient Coins
Greek: circa 625 BC to 30 BCRoman Republic: circa 289 BC to 41 BC Imperatorial: circa 60 BC to 27 BC Roman Provincial: 27 BC to 297 AD Byzantine: 491 AD to 1453 AD
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