The Legend of Alexander the Great on Greek and Roman Coins

196 Pages·2007·5.21 MB·English

by  Karsten Dahmen

THE LEGEND OF ALEXANDER
THE GREAT ON GREEK AND
ROMAN COINS
Karsten Dahmen collects, presents and examines, for the first time in one
volume, the portraits and representations of Alexander the Great on ancient
coins of the Greek and Roman periods (c. 320 bc to ad 400). Dahmen offers a
firsthand insight into the posthumous appreciation of Alexander’s legend by
Hellenistic kings, Greek cities, and Roman emperors combining an introduc-
tion to the historical background and basic information on the coins with a
comprehensive study of Alexander’s numismatic iconography.
Dahmen also discusses in detail examples of coins with Alexander’s portrait,
which are part of a selective presentation of representative coin-types. An
image and discussion is combined with a characteristic quotation of a source
from ancient historiography and a short bibliographical reference. The
numismatic material presented, although being a representative selection,
will exceed any previously published work on the subject.
The Legend of Alexander the Great on Greek and Roman Coins will be useful for
everyone in the Classics community including students and academics. It will
also be accessible for general readers with an interest in ancient history,
numismatics, or collecting.
Karsten Dahmen is a Classical Archaeologist and Numismatist of the
Berlin Coin Cabinet.
http://avaxho.me/blogs/ChrisRedfield

THE LEGEND OF
ALEXANDER THE
GREAT ON GREEK
AND ROMAN COINS
Karsten Dahmen
First published 2007
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 2007 Karsten Dahmen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dahmen, Karsten.
The legend of Alexander the Great on Greek and Roman coins /
Karsten Dahmen.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Coins, Greek. 2. Coins, Roman. 3. Coins, Ancient.
4. Alexander, the Great, 356–323 B.C.—Portraits.
5. Numismatics, Greek. 6. Numismatics, Roman.
7. Greece—Antiquities. 8. Rome—Antiquities. I. Title.
CJ385.D34 2007
737.4932—dc22
2006034904
ISBN 0-203-96799-2 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–39451–1 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–39452–X (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–96799–2 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–95451–2 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–39452–9 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–96799–7 (ebk)
FOR ANNIKA

What should one say about those people, who use magic charms and
amulets, and carry bronze coins of Alexander the Makedonian around
their necks and on their feet?
John Chrysostom, Ad illuminandos catechesis 2.5
(Patrologia Graeca 49, p. 240).

CONTENTS
Foreword xi
Maps xiii
Introduction 1
1 Images of Alexander: A survey of Alexander’s image on
ancient coins 6
2 Man, king, hero and god: Alexander’s changing portraits 39
3 Making good use of a legend 48
4 Excursus: Alexander in disguise 56
Conclusion: perspectives and limitations 58
Notes 65
Plate section (text and images) 108
Description of coins illustrated 156
Selected bibliography 170
Index 177
ix