Obverse: Head of Artemis
Decorating the Center of a
Macedonian Shield
Reverse: Club of Herakles and
Monograms Surrounded by an Oak
Wreath
While Alexander the Great was
forging his vast kingdom in the
east, the Romans had been
expanding in the west and now
began making inroads for Greece.
They found willing allies in
Pergamum and Rhodes, who
feared Syrian and Macedonian
expansionism. The Romans
defeated the Seleucid king,
Antiochus III, in a three-year
campaign and in 189 B.C. gave all
of Asia Minor to Pergamum.
Several wars were needed to
subjugate Macedon, but in 168
B.C. Macedon lost the decisive
Battle of Pydnaa and was turned
into a Roman province 20 years
later. Under Roman rule, the
region’s economy was controlled
by the quaestor, any of various
public officials responsible for
finance and administration in
several areas of government and
the military in ancient Rome.
Under the authority of the
quaestor, coins such as this one
were minted, a unique testament
to the Roman occupation of
Macedon.
How many hands have touched a
coin in your pocket or 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
might have touched the coin
before us, or where the coin will
venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins
are a symbol of the state that
struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary
currencies or artifacts of long
forgotten empires. This stunning
hand-struck coin reveals an
expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural detail that is
often lacking in contemporary
machine-made currencies. This
magnificent coin is an artifact
recording the Roman rule of
Macedon, homeland of Alexander
the Great, passed down from the
hands of civilization to civilization,
from generation to generation.
