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Tetradrachm - Alexandros
| Issuer | Samos |
|---|---|
| Year | 408 BC - 366 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A bull kneeling to the right, rendered in fine relief with careful attention to musculature and form, occupying the central field. To the left, a laurel or olive branch extends vertically along the border, a motif common in Samian civic coinage. The partial Greek legend ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔ appears in the upper field above the bull, representing the name Alexandros, likely a reference to a local magistrate or issuing authority. The overall composition is characteristic of the refined East Greek artistic tradition of the late fifth to early fourth century BC. |
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| Reverse lettering | AΛEΞANΔPOΣ ΣA (Translation: Alexandros) |
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| Additional information |
Samos operated as an Athenian cleruchy for much of this period, which makes its independent silver coinage a pointed political statement. Following the Athenian defeat at Aegospotami in 405 BC and the subsequent dissolution of the empire, Samos briefly regained autonomy — and the mint activity that followed reflects exactly that window of restored civic confidence. The island was then forcibly resettled by Lysander, its population expelled, before Athens recovered it again in 365 BC.
The Barron gap in the reference field is not unusual for Samian tetradrachms; the series remains incompletely catalogued, with die studies still unresolved for several emission groups.