Macedonian Kingdom. Alexander III 'the Great'. Gold Stater (8.58 g), 336-323 BC. Lampsakos, ca. 328/5-323 BC. Helmeted head of Athena right, coiled serpent on bowl of helmet. Reverse: AΛEΞANΔPOY, Nike standing left, holding wreath and stylis; in left field, conjoined horse foreparts; below monogram. Price 1358. Lustrous. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $3,000 - UP
This posthumous stater features the imperial types that Alexander the Great established for his gold coinage at the outset of his reign. It is generally thought that they alluded to his characterization of his grand campaign against the Persian Empire as a Greek war of revenge for Xerxes' failed invasion of mainland Greece in 480-479 BC. The head of Athena refers to the Persian destruction of Athens while Nike holding a stylis (i.e., a ship's mast) recalls the naval victories at Salamis and Mykale that ultimately forced the withdrawal of the Persians from Greece. Ironically, by the time this coin was struck, Alexander was not only dead, but had long before abandoned the revenge motive for the conquest. Indeed, at the end of his life he was actively trying (and failing) to unite Macedonian and Persian in his army and his wider empire. In this project he was way ahead of his time and deep resentment in the army has informed the ancient rumors that Alexander did not die of illness, but was actually poisoned.This particular issue is usually attributed to Nikokreon of Salamis, a Cypriot city-king who wisely paid homage to Alexander while he was besieging Tyre in 331 BC. In return, Alexander permitted him to retain his kingdom. After the death of Alexander, in 315 BC, Nikokreon supported Ptolemy in overthrowing other city-kings of Cyprus who were allied with his dangerous rival, Antigonos Monophthalmos. He was subsequently rewarded by being made king not only of Salamis, but also of Kition, Lapithos, Keryneia, and Marion. The stater may have been struck in the context of the conflict that raised Nikokreon to be ruler of all Cyprus.