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Drachm - Antigonus I In the name of Alexander III; Abydos
| Issuer | Kingdom of Macedonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 310 BC - 301 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Head of Herakles facing right, depicted in three-quarter view, wearing the Nemean lion skin headdress tied beneath the chin, its scalp and open jaws forming a naturalistic helmet over the hair. The facial features are rendered in fine Hellenistic style with a strong profile, well-defined brow, and idealised youth. The reverse of the lion pelt is visible draped behind the neck, with the paws knotted at the throat. |
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| Reverse description | Zeus Aëtophoros enthroned left on a high-backed throne, his upper body nude, lower body draped, his outstretched right hand holding an eagle and his left hand resting on a long sceptre. In the left field, a monogram composed of the letters Mu and Rho (MP), serving as a mint control mark. Below the throne, a further control symbol is visible. The Greek legend ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ runs downward along the right field, identifying the coin as issued in the name of Alexander. |
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| Additional information |
Antigonus I Monophthalmus — "the One-Eyed" — struck these drachms in the name of Alexander III as a deliberate political fiction. By 310 BC, the legitimate Argead line was extinct: Roxane and the young Alexander IV had been murdered on Cassander's orders that same year. Antigonus continued issuing coinage under Alexander's name anyway, asserting himself as the rightful steward of an undivided empire against the other Diadochi. The mint at Abydos, controlling the Hellespont crossing, was strategically indispensable to his Aegean ambitions.
Price 1528–1530 distinguishes the Abydos issues by specific monograms and control marks in the field.