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Tetradrachm - Alexander I
| Issuer | Kingdom of Macedonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 480 BC - 476 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | SNG ANS 8#11 Copenhagen#484 , de Luynes#1577 , McClean#3273 , Weber#2010 3.1#763 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Helmeted warrior's head facing right, wearing a crested Chalcidian helmet with cheek-guards, depicted within a dotted linear square border set within a deep incuse square. The incuse technique is characteristic of early Macedonian coinage and reflects contemporary Thraco-Macedonian minting practice. The portrait is rendered in high relief with careful attention to the helmet's crest and facial profile, typical of the transitional Archaic-to-Early Classical period. The field within the incuse is plain, with no inscriptions. |
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| Mintage | ND (480 BC - 476 BC) |
| Additional information |
Alexander I spent much of his reign navigating the Achaemenid occupation of Macedonia — he was effectively a Persian vassal during Xerxes' invasion of Greece, supplying timber and materiel to the Persian fleet while simultaneously, according to Herodotus, warning Greek commanders at Plataea of Persian movements. This coinage dates to the years immediately following the Persian withdrawal, when Alexander was consolidating control over the rich silver mines of the Bisaltia region he had seized after the collapse of Persian power in Thrace.
The Bisaltian silver almost certainly funded this issue directly. His subsequent adoption of the title "Philhellene" points to the political rehabilitation he needed after his wartime collaboration.