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Drachm - Lysimachus Mytilene
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 294 BC - 290 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Drachm (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of the deified Alexander the Great facing right, adorned with the ram's horn of Ammon curling forward above the ear, a prominent numismatic identifier of his divine association with Zeus-Ammon. The hair is rendered in thick, flowing locks swept back from the forehead and falling behind the neck in the Hellenistic portrait tradition. A dotted border frames the design along the right periphery of the flan. The effigy is executed in high relief with fine modeling of the facial features, characteristic of the skilled die-engravers active at the Mytilene mint in the early third century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus minted coins bearing the deified image of Alexander the Great as a deliberate political instrument — asserting legitimacy through proximity to the conqueror rather than through dynastic bloodline. The Mytilene mint on Lesbos came under his control following his consolidation of the Aegean coast after the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, which left him the dominant power in western Asia Minor and Thrace.
Thompson's die study (the basis for the #138 reference) identified Mytilene as a relatively minor contributing mint within Lysimachus's broad silver coinage program, active for only a narrow window before his death at Corupedium in 281 BC ended the issue entirely.