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Tetradrachm - Lysimachus Amphipolis
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 288 BC - 281 BC |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of the deified Alexander the Great facing right, wearing the horn of Ammon curling behind his ear, rendered in high relief with finely detailed flowing locks of hair radiating outward in the Hellenistic style. The portrait is set within a plain inner field bordered by a raised dotted bead-and-reel rim. The idealized, youthful features convey divine majesty, characteristic of the posthumous portrait coinage issued by Lysimachus in emulation of Alexander's divine status. |
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| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus struck these tetradrachms at Amphipolis — a mint he inherited through his conquest of Macedonia following the battle of Ipsus in 301 BC. The coins were politically calculated: by invoking the deified Alexander on the obverse and adopting Macedonian mint infrastructure, Lysimachus was pressing a legitimacy claim over a kingdom that several Diadochi considered rightfully theirs. The Amphipolis mint had been among the most productive under Philip II and Alexander, which made it symbolically loaded as well as logistically useful.
Lysimachus was killed at the battle of Corupedium in 281 BC, making the closing date of this issue coincide precisely with the destruction of his kingdom.