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Tetradrachm - Demetrius I Poliorcetes Chalkis
| Issuer | Kingdom of Macedonia |
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| Year | 290 BC - 287 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and horned head of Demetrios I Poliorcetes facing right, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with flowing, luxuriantly curled hair swept back from the forehead. The diadem is tied behind the head with trailing ends visible, and a bull's horn — emblematic of divine association — rises from the hairline above the forehead. The portrait exhibits the idealized yet individualized physiognomy characteristic of late 4th to early 3rd century BC Macedonian royal coinage, with a strong profile, well-defined brow, and slightly parted lips. A dotted border frames the design on the coin's periphery. |
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| Mint | Chalkis |
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| Additional information |
Demetrius I Poliorcetes — "the Besieger" — struck these tetradrachms at Chalkis during the most precarious stretch of his reign, when he held Macedonia but was rapidly losing the loyalty of its population to the relentless pressure of Pyrrhus of Epirus and Lysimachus closing in from both flanks. The Chalkis mint was operating as part of his broader Euboean and central Greek administrative network, not a primary mint, which accounts for the relatively modest output compared to his Amphipolis and Pella issues.
Newell's classification of this type in his 1927 monograph on Demetrius remains the authoritative framework. By 287 BC, the Macedonian army effectively walked away from Demetrius without a battle, surrendering to Pyrrhus.