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Tetrachalkon - Philip II Thunderbolt
| Issuer | Kingdom of Macedonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 359 BC - 336 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 6.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Youthful laureate head of Apollo facing left, rendered in the classical Macedonian style with finely striated hair swept back and tied, the facial features exhibiting the idealized Hellenic aesthetic characteristic of Philip II's bronze coinage. The portrait occupies the full field of the flan with no surrounding legend or inscription. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Philip II came to power in 359 BC not as king but as regent for his infant nephew, consolidating control rapidly enough that he assumed the throne outright within the year. His bronze coinage was instrumental in monetizing an economy that had previously relied heavily on barter and bullion exchange, funding the professional army reforms — including the Macedonian phalanx — that would remake Greek warfare entirely. Bronze fractional issues like this one circulated at the local level, greasing the machinery of a military-commercial state that Alexander would later inherit.