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HOME :
Greek Coins :
Alexander Drachms : Silver Drachm of King Alexander the Great
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Silver Drachm of King Alexander the Great - C.7493
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 336
BC
to 323
BC
Collection: Numismatic
Medium: Silver
$1,700.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Obverse: Alexander in the Guise of Hercules
Reverse: Zeus Seated Holding an Eagles and
Scepter
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether currency in
the age we live or an artifact of a long forgotten
empire. Worth a month’s pay, a silver coin like
this would have rewarded the bravery and
fortitude of the officers serving under one of
history’s most celebrated generals, Alexander the
Great. Son to King Philip II of Macedon, tutored
in his youth by Aristotle, Alexander conquered
one of the largest kingdoms the world has ever
known. Marching from Egypt, through Asia
Minor, and into the heart of central Asia,
Alexander lead a swift and successful military
campaign that defeated the potent Persians and
stretched the edges of Hellenic civilization to new
lands. While his vast empire dissolved after his
death, the carefully cultivated legend of
Alexander will continue to live on not only in our
history books and museums, but also in artifacts
like this coin: concrete remnants of ancient
empires passed from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to generation.
- (C.7493)
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