|
HOME :
Greek Coins :
Macedonian Coins : Macedonian Tetradrachm Minted Under Roman Rule
|
 |
|
|
|
Macedonian Tetradrachm Minted Under Roman Rule - C.3033
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 168
BC
to 150
BC
Collection: Numismatics
Medium: Silver
Additional Information: SOLD
$1,800.00
Location: United States
|
|
|
| Photo Gallery |
|
|
| Description |
Obverse: Head of Artemis Decorating the
Center
of a Macedonian Shield
Reverse: Club of Herakles and Monograms
Surrounded by an Oak Wreath
While Alexander the Great was forging
his vast
empire in the east, the Romans had been
expanding in the west and now began
making
inroads for Greece. They found willing
allies in
Pergamum and Rhodes, who feared Syrian
and
Macedonian expansionism. The Romans
defeated
the Seleucid king, Antiochus III, in a
three-year
campaign and in 189 B.C. gave all of
Asia Minor
to Pergamum. Several wars were needed to
subjugate Macedon, but in 168 B.C.
Macedon lost
the decisive Battle of Pydnaa and was
turned into
a Roman province 20 years later. Under
Roman
rule, the region’s economy was
controlled by the
quaestor, any of various public
officials
responsible for finance and
administration in
several areas of government and the
military in
ancient Rome. Aesillas, the quaestor
under
whom this coin was minted, clearly
manipulated
his influence into a position of power
symbolized
by this coin.
How many hands have touched a coin in
your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands
have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our
pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to
think of
who might have touched the coin before
us, or
where the coin will venture to after it
leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a
symbol of
the state that struck them, of a
specific time and
location, whether contemporary
currencies or
artifacts of long forgotten empires.
This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an
expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary
machine-
made currencies. This magnificent coin
is an
artifact recording the Roman rule of
Macedon,
homeland of Alexander the Great, passed
down
from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from
generation to generation.
- (C.3033)
|
| |
|
