The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander (obverse); Athena (reverse)

Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander (obverse); Athena (reverse)

297–281 BCE
(Thrake)
silver
Diameter: 3 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.984
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Although Alexander the Great appears on this coin, the inscription on the reverse identifies its issuer as Lysimachos.

Description

A contemporary of Alexander the Great and one of his generals, Lysimachos used coins like this one to emphasize his connections to the fallen leader. The images of the goddesses Athena and Nike, or Victory, on the reverse, together with an inscription naming King Lysimachos, further legitimize his reign, first in Thrace and then in parts of Macedonia and Asia Minor.
  • (Charles T. Seltman)
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 4, no. 4 (1917): 64-67. Mentioned: p. 64 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander (obverse); Athena (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=297–281 BCE|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.984