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Greek Coins :
Macedonian Coins : Macedonian Tetradrachm Minted Under Roman Rule
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Macedonian Tetradrachm Minted Under Roman Rule - C.3033
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 168
BC
to 150
BC
Collection: Numismatics
Medium: Silver
$1,800.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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
empire 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. Aesillas, the quaestor under
whom this coin was minted, clearly manipulated
his influence into a position of power symbolized
by this coin.
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.
- (C.3033)
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