Tetradrachm In the name of Alexander III

Rhodes struck posthumous Alexander tetradrachms as a practical trade currency rather than from any dynastic loyalty — the type was simply the dominant commercial coin of the eastern Mediterranean by the late third century. This particular issue dates to a tense period in Rhodian history: the island had weathered devastating earthquakes in 226 BC and was now navigating the aftermath of the Roman-Macedonian conflicts, having famously appealed to Rome against Philip V. The Rhodian mint was meticulous, and Ashton's die studies confirm this group was produced over a compressed window with identifiable obverse die linkages.