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Tetradrachm - Demetrius Poliorcetes In the name of Alexander III, Salamis
| Issuer | Kingdom of Macedonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 306 BC - 300 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 17.02 g |
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| Obverse description | Head of Herakles facing right, wearing the Nemean lion scalp headdress, the mane rendered in fine flowing detail with the forepaws knotted at the throat. The portrait is executed in the vigorous Hellenistic style characteristic of the Salaminian mint, with strongly modeled facial features including a prominent brow, aquiline nose, and slightly parted lips. The field is smooth and unlettered, with the dotted border of the flan edge visible on portions of the coin's irregular circumference. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ |
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| Additional information |
Struck at Salamis in Cyprus following Demetrius Poliorcetes' decisive naval victory over Ptolemy I at the Battle of Salamis in 306 BC — the engagement that briefly handed control of the eastern Mediterranean to Antigonus and his son. The victory prompted Antigonus to assume the title of king, triggering a cascade of rival Successors doing the same and effectively ending any pretense of a unified Macedonian empire. These coins were issued in Alexander's name as a deliberate assertion of legitimacy, the Antigonid faction positioning itself as the true heir to the Argead conquest.
Price 3180 places this emission within Newell's die study of the Salamis mint during its brief but prolific post-battle output.