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Source Description
On this coin, the head of a youthful Herakles, wearing his lion-skin, appears on the obverse, with his father Zeus, king of the gods, seated on the reverse. For Alexander III (the Great), who claimed descent from the line of Herakles, coins like this one projected power. Thus, while their attributes (lion-skin, eagle, scepter) identify hero and god, the inscription ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (of Alexander) identifies the leader.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
97371
label
Tetradrachm: Head of Young Herakles (obverse); Zeus (reverse)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
97371
contentType
object
title
Tetradrachm: Head of Young Herakles (obverse); Zeus (reverse)
description
On this coin, the head of a youthful Herakles, wearing his lion-skin, appears on the obverse, with his father Zeus, king of the gods, seated on the reverse. For Alexander III (the Great), who claimed descent from the line of Herakles, coins like this one projected power. Thus, while their attributes (lion-skin, eagle, scepter) identify hero and god, the inscription ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (of Alexander) identifies the leader.
date
336–323 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79481658
genreSpecific
Coins
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 2.6 cm (1 in.)
cul
Greek, Macedonian, minted at Amphipolis (Macedonia), reign of Alexander III [The Great]
accession
1916.981
Source extras
tec
silver
tombstone
Tetradrachm: Head of Young Herakles (obverse); Zeus (reverse), 336–323 BCE. Greek, Macedonian, minted at Amphipolis (Macedonia), reign of Alexander III [The Great]. Silver; diameter: 2.6 cm (1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade, 1916.981
collection
GR - Greek
inscriptions
inscription
ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ
inscription_translation
Of Alexander
inscription_remark
Reverse
didYouKnow
The Pegasos protome beside Zeus (on the reverse) indicates that this coin was minted at Amphipolis.
creditline
Gift of J. H. Wade
sketchfabId
1c69626bb3564ce894136ae9483573ce
updatedAt
2026-06-18 21:17:00.741000
sourceId
97371
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Greek
med
silver
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6fe1fd35cd58582e