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Tetradrachm - Lysimachus Lampsacus
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 297 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, portrayed with the ram's horn of Ammon curling behind his ear, a divine attribute asserting his descent from Zeus-Ammon. The hair is rendered in elaborate, deeply engraved curling locks radiating from the crown of the head, characteristic of the refined Hellenistic portraiture associated with Lysimachean coinage. The facial features are idealized yet powerfully modeled, with a strong jaw, prominent brow, and slightly parted lips. The surface of the flan is well-struck, with the portrait centered in a broad, unencumbered field. No legend appears on the obverse. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus struck these coins not in his own name but under the deified image of Alexander the Great — a deliberate political act. As one of the Diadochi who had actually served Alexander personally, he held a legitimacy claim few rivals could match, and the coinage was central to asserting it. The Lampsacus mint on the Hellespont was strategically critical, positioned to fund and supply his campaigns in Thrace and Asia Minor.
Lysimachus was killed at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BC, and the mint's output ceased shortly after.