The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of August 23, 2024
![Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander III [The Great] (obverse); Athena (reverse)](https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=DC188F35F8995A53D7170D9862776EAC00B9C45121D5EDFC4CB5FDFCD9C04D1F&s=24247294&se=1005458440&v=1&f=%5Cd9027%5Cu214190274%5C1916.994_o2.jpg)
Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander III [The Great] (obverse); Athena (reverse)
306 BCE
(332 BCE–395 CE), reign of Ptolemy I (303–282 BCE)
Overall: 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.994
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The image of Alexander the Great in an elephant headdress references his Eastern conquests.Description
Much like his former commander Alexander III (the Great) showed connections to Herakles and Zeus, Ptolemy I Soter (the Savior) used coins to validate his succession to power. Thus, in place of Herakles with lion-skin, this coin shows Alexander in an elephant headdress, referring to their shared Eastern triumphs. On the reverse is Athena Promachos, striding forward with shield and spear. Before her are a helmet and an eagle, and behind her the inscription ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, “of Alexander.”- Neils, Jenifer. "The Twain Shall Meet." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 6 (1985). p. 239 www.jstor.org
- Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).
- {{cite web|title=Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander III [The Great] (obverse); Athena (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=306 BCE|access-date=23 August 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.994