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Tetradrachm - Lysimachus Lampsakos
| Issuer | Kings of Thrace |
|---|---|
| Year | 297 BC - 281 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 17.05 g |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of the deified Alexander the Great facing right, portrayed in the heroic tradition with idealized, finely modeled features and flowing wavy hair. The distinctive small horn of Ammon curls behind the ear, identifying the subject as the divine Alexander in his syncretic guise as son of Zeus-Ammon. A diadem is tied around the head, its ends visible behind the neck. The effigy is rendered in high relief with exceptional artistry, characteristic of the Lysimachean coinage tradition. |
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| Reverse description | Athena Nikephoros seated left upon a throne, her body draped, her left arm resting upon a large round shield decorated with a star device. A transverse spear is positioned in the background. Athena extends her right hand to hold Nike, the winged goddess of victory, who faces left. A torch appears to the inner left field. The two-line Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ, meaning 'of King Lysimachus,' flanks the central figure to left and right respectively. |
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| Additional information |
Lysimachus struck these coins in the name and image of Alexander the Great as a deliberate political maneuver — associating himself with his former commander's divine authority to legitimize his rule over Thrace and western Asia Minor. The Lampsakos mint was one of his most productive, sitting on the Hellespont and generating revenue from one of the ancient world's most heavily trafficked straits.
Lysimachus was killed at the Battle of Corupedium in 281 BC, the last major engagement between the Diadochi, and his kingdom dissolved almost immediately after. Coins from his final years at Lampsakos were still circulating widely across the Aegean decades after his death.