Beschreibung
Erhaltung: vz | Abkürzungen
Katalognummer: Athena Alkidemos
Durchmesser: 27,50 mm
weight 15,68gr. | silver Ø 27,5mm.
First reduced standard, plain series, ca. 306-300 BC
obv. Horned head of deified Alexander the Great right, wearing
elephant headdress, mitra and scaly aegis tied before neck
rev. Athena Alkidemos advancing right, brandishing spear in right
hand, shield on left arm eagle standing right on thunderbolt at feet
to right, monogram in inner right field, helmet right in outer right
field, AEANPOY behind
The elephantscalp refers to India, the aegis to Egypt and the
horns of Zeus Ammon to Greece. Rare.
The depiction of Athena Alkidemos indirectly served to further consolidate the legitimacy of the Ptolemaic rulers. Athena Alkidemos, the protector of the state and Athena Promachos, the warrior Athena, was worshipped in both Macedonia and Egypt. In Egypt, Athena Alkidemos was equated with the Egyptian goddess Neith. And since Neith acted as the pharaohs protector, the Athena-Neith motif was quite plausible even from an Egyptian perspective, since she protected the king on the obverse (Pfrommer, ibid., p. 52). After Ptolemaios defeat at the Battle of Salamis in Cyprus (306 BC) and the loss of Cyprus, the weight standard of the tetradrachms was reduced from 17.20 g to 15.70 g. However, the motifs on the obverse and reverse were retained, apart from minimal changes.
a splendid coin of excellent style, depicting Alexander the Great
provenance: ex. Auktion Peus Nachf. 277, Frankfurt am Main 1971, Nr. 156.
BMC 32 | SNG.Copenhagen| Svoronos 164
Zervos (1974) issue 29 | CPE (Lorber) 70 R
xf
