Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
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), 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
120471
label
Tetradrachm: Head of Young Herakles (obverse); Zeus (reverse)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
120471
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), 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
Q80016116
genreSpecific
Coins
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 2.2 cm (7/8 in.)
cul
Greek, Macedonian, minted at Amphipolis (Macedonia), reign of Alexander III [The Great]
accession
1941.294
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: 2.2 cm (7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. Jacob Hirsch, 1941.294
collection
GR - Greek
inscriptions
inscription
Λ
inscription
ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ
inscription_translation
Of Alexander
inscription_remark
Reverse
didYouKnow
Alexander the Great claimed descent from Herakles and Zeus, picturing them both on his coinage.
creditline
Gift of Dr. Jacob Hirsch
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:13:24.580000
sourceId
120471
dept
Greek and Roman Art
coll
GR - Greek
med
silver
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
6828dd630ded9680