Here is a ancient Greek Drachma which either has Alexander the Great on it or his crazy brother Philip III. How can one tell? Thanks Bone
Phillip III, whose name appears to be on the coin was Alexander III's paternal unit, well that is if the serpent wasn't as legend has it.
Alexander as Herakles Any coin with Alexander as Herakles on it was struck under the authority of Alexander or his successors. Alexander issued the coin you pictured, but did so in the name of his father, Phillip. He did that with several issues, both gold and silver. You can tell by the style and type of the coin. The seated Zeus coins came after Alexander conquered enough of Asia to have incorporated eastern Hellenisms into his culture. The seated Zeus had been a seated Baal. Also, Alexander as Herakles runs quite a broad range, but all of them fit into a lattitude. If the obverse looks like yours, it is a coin of Alexander (or a successor). These types continued for easily 100 and perhaps 200 years after the death of Alexander, but dealers, cataloguers, and others conveniently give them Alexander's dates: 356-323. Of course, he did not issue coins the day he was born and the issues continued after his death. There are some ways to identify which coins were struck during Alexander's lifetime. If you care to learn more, there are good resources out on the web, and even better ones in books. If you are a member of the ANA, you can borrow books for free. Martin Jessop Price's COINS OF THE MACEDONIANS would be a requirement if you care to know these on sight.
Thank you for the information. I have just a few Greek ancients and one is listed as Alexander II (LOL) Zebianus a Seleukid King. This coin is listed as an example coin on WildWinds as well. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/seleucia/alexander_II/t.html Bone
More than you ever wanted to know ... Well, I think that attribution is correct. You can see the obvious copying of the intention, but clearly, the two men are different and the Seleukid has his hair tied up, whereas Alexander wears the Lionskin. I do not see why you "laughed out loud" on that. Here is a bibliography of sources that you might find helpful. There is no end of this material if you care to immerse yourself in Alexander. Ancient Sources Arrian (translated by Aubrey de Selincourt), The Campaigns of Alexander. (London: Penguin Books, 1958) Plutarch (translated by John Dryden; revised by Arthur Hugh Clough, 1864), Lives. (New York: Modern Library, late 20th century) Rufus, Quintus Curtius (translated by John Yardley), The History of Alexander. (London: Penguin Books, 1984) Modern art histories Bieber, Margarete, Alexander the Great in Greek and Roman Art. (Chicago: 1964) Bieber, Margarete, "The Portraits of Alexander the Great" (Philadelphia: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Volume 95 Number 5, 1949) Stewart, Andrew, Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993) Modern Histories: Grant, Michael, From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World. (New York: The History Book Club, 2000) Holt, Frank L., "Alexander the Great Today: In the Interests of Historical Accuracy?" (Ancient History Bulletin 13.3, 1999. www.trentu.ca/academic/ahb) Kitto, H. D. F., The Greeks. (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1951-1984) NUMISMATICS Price, Martin Jessop, The Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus. (London: The British Museum, 1991) Price, Martin Jessop, Coins of the Macedonians. (London: British Museum Publications, 1974) Newell, Edward T., Royal Greek Portrait Coins. (Racine: Whitman Publishing, 1937) Brown, Blanche R., "Styles in the Alexander Portraits on the Coins of Lysimachus" in Coins, Culture, and History in the Ancient World. (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981) Thompson, Margaret, Alexander's Drachm Mints II: Lampsacus and Abydus. (New York: The American Numismatic Society, 1991)
Get your flack jackets everybody, the syndicated columnist from the Philadelphia Enquirer is on his way
Everyone in positions of power seemed to be named Alexander or Philip. These names apparently were the popular names for male children then, just as Trajan was during it's time. I have an unusual sense of humor or so I've been told. Bone
