Tetrachalkon - Philip II Helios Head

Philip II came to power in 359 BC under desperate circumstances — Macedonia had just suffered a catastrophic defeat against the Illyrians that killed his predecessor Perdiccas III along with 4,000 Macedonian soldiers. The rapid monetization of bronze during his reign was a deliberate fiscal tool, expanding a market economy that could sustain his unprecedented military reforms. Before Philip, Macedonia had no meaningful bronze coinage to speak of.

The Helios-head type is associated with the solar cult Philip cultivated in connection with his campaigns into Thrace and his broader religious politics.