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Tetradrachm In the name of Alexander III, Chios
| Issuer | Kingdom of Macedonia |
|---|---|
| Year | 210 BC - 190 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Youthful head of Heracles facing right, depicted beardless, wearing the Nemean lion skin headdress with the scalp knotted beneath the chin and the paws draped across the shoulder. The facial features are rendered in the idealised Hellenistic style, with fine modelling of the brow, ear, and jaw. A beaded border runs along the coin's outer edge. The portrait closely follows the canonical type established under Alexander III, assimilating the hero's identity with that of the king. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Chios struck posthumous Alexanders well into the second century BC, operating as a semi-autonomous mint that adopted the royal type as a commercial convenience rather than out of political subordination. By this period the island's economy was deeply tied to Aegean wine trade, and standardized silver of this weight served merchant networks stretching from the Black Sea to Alexandria. Price 2393 is distinguished by its specific monograms and control marks, which allow attribution to Chios rather than the dozens of other eastern mints producing near-identical coinage simultaneously.