Kings of Macedon. Tyre. Antigonos I Monophthalmos 320-301 BC. Struck as Strategos of Asia, in the name and types of Alexander III. dated RY 38 of 'Ozmilk = 312/1 BC
Tetradrachm AR

27 mm, 16,69 g

Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre; AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ to right, Phoenician 'K (for Azemilkos) and Phoenician date in left field.

Very Fine

Price 3295 (Ake) corr. (date in two lines); Newell, Dated 44, obv. die XXXVIII (Ake).

Antigonos I Monophthalmos, meaning "the One-Eyed," was one of the most prominent of Alexander the Great's generals and a key figure in the Wars of the Diadochi, the conflicts that erupted after Alexander's death in 323 BC. Born around 382 BC in central Macedonia, Antigonos served with distinction under Philip II and later under Alexander during his campaigns in Asia. After Alexander's death, Antigonos was appointed as the governor of Phrygia, Lycia, and Pamphylia in Asia Minor. He quickly became one of the most powerful of the Diadochi, the successors who vied for control of Alexander's empire. Known for his military skill, ambition, and strategic acumen, Antigonos sought to establish his dominance over the fragmented territories. In the years following Alexander's death, Antigonos played a central role in the power struggles that engulfed the empire. He initially supported the regent Perdiccas but later turned against him. By 316 BC, Antigonos had emerged as the most powerful of the Diadochi after defeating and killing his rival Eumenes of Cardia. He controlled much of Asia Minor and the eastern provinces and began to assert his influence over Greece and Macedonia. Antigonos's growing power alarmed the other Diadochi, leading to a series of coalitions against him. In 301 BC, the conflict culminated in the Battle of Ipsus, where Antigonos faced a coalition of forces led by Lysimachus and Seleucus, two other powerful successors of Alexander. Despite his age - he was nearly 80 - Antigonos fought bravely but was ultimately killed in the battle. His death marked the end of his ambitions to reunite Alexander's empire under his rule. After his death, his son Demetrios I Poliorcetes continued to fight for their dynasty, eventually establishing the Antigonid dynasty in Macedonia. Although Antigonos did not succeed in reuniting Alexander's empire, his legacy lived on through his descendants, who ruled Macedonia until its conquest by Rome in 168 BC.