Alexander the Great
SmEagle1795
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I was intending to make a larger post about Alexander the Great's coinage as a whole, but due to time constraints, will cut it short to just this new purchase for the moment, using a somewhat cobbled together description from auction writeups and texts:
Macedonia, Philip II; Colophon, c. 322 BC, Stater, 8.65g. Le Rider pl. 90, 16. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo r., with features of Alexander the Great. Rx: Fast biga driven r. by charioteer with hair streaming in wind and holding goad; below forelegs of horses, tripod; ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ in exergue.This is the very special issue that is universally thought to bear the portrait of Alexander himself. The coin is struck in high relief and the portrait is sculptural in nature. Finest quality possible. Exquisite Mint State
This coin is one of a very small group of staters struck in the name of Philip II which bear portraits of individuals rather than generic heads of Apollo and is stylistically unlike any of the previous issues. Struck in Kolophon and in Magnesia from a single obverse die that was used by both mints, this coin was produced during the short reign of Philip III Arrhidaios. The coin’s beauty and importance has made it one of the most desirable and exciting of all the gold staters in the name of Philip II.
Most of these staters are unclear in who they depict, but this piece, minted within a year of the death of Alexander the Great, clearly bears a portrait of Alexander himself, and is one of the earliest of all portraits we have of him.
While it lacks the customary forehead cowlick or "anastole" found in most images of Alexander the Great, the uncanny resemblance of the facial features are identical to those on known portraits of him showing that the uncommonly talented die engraver is seeking to evoke the great conqueror with this magnificent depiction.
In this amalgamation of King and God by the engraver, we see a wholly justified comparison: as Apollo was known as Phanaios - ‘bringer of light’, so was Alexander seen as having carried the light of Hellenic culture to the farthest reaches of the known world.
The issue seems intended to legitimize the patchwork Macedonian regime put together by Alexander's generals after his death in Babylon under the figurehead rulers Philip III Arrhidaeus and the infant Alexander IV, his posthumously born son. As such the "Philip" named on the reverse should probably be seen as referring to Arrhidaeus rather than the traditional attribution to Philip II.
Macedonia, Philip II; Colophon, c. 322 BC, Stater, 8.65g. Le Rider pl. 90, 16. Obv: Laureate head of Apollo r., with features of Alexander the Great. Rx: Fast biga driven r. by charioteer with hair streaming in wind and holding goad; below forelegs of horses, tripod; ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ in exergue.This is the very special issue that is universally thought to bear the portrait of Alexander himself. The coin is struck in high relief and the portrait is sculptural in nature. Finest quality possible. Exquisite Mint State
This coin is one of a very small group of staters struck in the name of Philip II which bear portraits of individuals rather than generic heads of Apollo and is stylistically unlike any of the previous issues. Struck in Kolophon and in Magnesia from a single obverse die that was used by both mints, this coin was produced during the short reign of Philip III Arrhidaios. The coin’s beauty and importance has made it one of the most desirable and exciting of all the gold staters in the name of Philip II.
Most of these staters are unclear in who they depict, but this piece, minted within a year of the death of Alexander the Great, clearly bears a portrait of Alexander himself, and is one of the earliest of all portraits we have of him.
While it lacks the customary forehead cowlick or "anastole" found in most images of Alexander the Great, the uncanny resemblance of the facial features are identical to those on known portraits of him showing that the uncommonly talented die engraver is seeking to evoke the great conqueror with this magnificent depiction.
In this amalgamation of King and God by the engraver, we see a wholly justified comparison: as Apollo was known as Phanaios - ‘bringer of light’, so was Alexander seen as having carried the light of Hellenic culture to the farthest reaches of the known world.
The issue seems intended to legitimize the patchwork Macedonian regime put together by Alexander's generals after his death in Babylon under the figurehead rulers Philip III Arrhidaeus and the infant Alexander IV, his posthumously born son. As such the "Philip" named on the reverse should probably be seen as referring to Arrhidaeus rather than the traditional attribution to Philip II.
Learn about our world's shared history told through the first millennium of coinage: Colosseo Collection
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Comments
no question that this likeness is meant to be Alexander deified
<< <i>Finest quality possible. Exquisite Mint State >>
There's an understatement.
Wow. That is literally breathtaking and gasp-inducing.
PS- what I find the most impressive is the facial detail on the charioteer, not to mention the horses. That's some incredible engraving.
<< <i>While it lacks the customary forehead cowlick or "anastole" >>
Did you just call me an anastole?
I probably deserved it.
<< <i>hellacious
>>
What he said! That piece is simply amazing. How did it survive essentially untouched?
Dumb question - given the proportionality found on the obverse and reverse, why did the engraver decide to give the portrait such big eyes?
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<< <i>Dumb question - given the proportionality found on the obverse and reverse, why did the engraver decide to give the portrait such big eyes? >>
Not a dumb question. The image of Alexander is a much more complicated subject than one might think. (And if you want to see Alexander with big eyes Google "The Alexander Mosaic".) He is often portrayed with large and slightly upturned or up gazing eyes.
Alexander was the first Greek ruler to use his portrait as propaganda. The images of Alexander in sculptures and on coins are idealized portraits of him. His real features were transformed into the image of a hero conquerer by his court artisans. And that was the image Alexander wanted portrayed to his subjects. The image of Alexander shown to his public was very important and planned. Propaganda in the form of his image was used by Alexander, and the Hellenistic Kings that followed continued the practice.
Of course there was no mass media back then. So sculptures, paintings and coins were used to convey messages to the people about their ruler. Features in the portrait that we might take little notice of, may, and did, have great and specific meanings to the people of Alexander's time. For example, even his cowlick or anastolé, as mentioned by SmEagle1795, had meaning. In ancient classical tradition, it, (and his mass of hair in general), referenced the mane of a lion. And that therefore Alexander had the qualities of a lion. There are other such examples of meanings of specific devices in his portrait.
There is the 545 page monumental book on the subject of Alexander's image by Andrew Stewart called, Faces of Power: Alexander's Image and Hellenistic Politics. You can read most of this book on Google Books, Faces of Power.
I also found some informative info on Alexander's image on the Georgetown University Blog. Scroll down to the comments section. I don't recognize the names of any of the posters but they post some good insights. It's a good place to get your feet wet on the subject.
Images and their meanings of Alexander and the Hellenistic kings are a favorite subject of mine. (How geeky!) But it relates to the coins I collect. I could go on and on but will stop here.
And BTW, what an awesome example SmEagle1795. A true fleur de coin.
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
--Severian the Lame
You. Suck.
<< <i>Well, I am no authority, but:
You. Suck. >>
Agreed!
Congratulations on an amazing museum quality specimen!!!
BTW - if it weren't a bit geeky, then none of us would be hanging around here, right? Keep it coming.
Stunning coin!
The portrait looks very close to the portrait of that medal with Alexander, whilst he was alive that was found in Peshawar, that we had discussed a while ago.
It's a much better portrait of course by a better engraver, I'm only posting this one for the similarities and the lack of doubt as to whose the portrait is.
Now where's that guy, newcastle to tell me that Magnesia (central Greece) should have been part of his country, but history was cruel to them?
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