ALEXANDER III the GREAT on horse Roman-Era OLYMPIC Games Coin 238AD i22652

Item: i22652

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Alexander III, the Great: Macedonian Greek
King: 336-323 B.C.
Roman Era, Olympic-Style Games Issue

Bronze 27mm (8.99 grams) from the Koinon of Macedonia in Thrace
under Roman Control
 Struck circa 222-235 A.D. under the reign of Roman Emperor Severus
Alexander

AΛЄΞANΔPOV, Head of Alexander the Great right wearing
crested, Corinthian-style helmet.

KOINON MAKЄΔONΩN NEΩ, Alexander the Great on his legendary
horse, Bucephalus, charging right with cape flying behind him.

* Numismatic Note: Leaders like Julius Caesar and the Romans
and the Greeks alike had immense respect for the great accomplishments of
Alexander the Great. Macedonia, being the kingdom of Alexander the Great’s
birth, this coin featuring his likeness heralds the Neocorate status of the
area, along with the Olympic-style games that accompanied it. Highly-coveted
type.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.  

The provincial coinage issued in the name of a district council (KOINON) was not

very common at the time of Augustus and the formation of provincial Roman

governments. Most cities issued coinage in their own names – either as

autonomous or as individual subjects of the emperor or a client king. In fact,

the koina never became very widespread in practice or authority. From

inscriptions on provincial coins, we know of koina in Macedon and Thessaly in

Greece – also on the islands of Lesbos, Crete and Cyprus. The remainder were

from the East.

In theory, the koinon may be likened to a federation where representatives of

each city in the district form an assembly with a democratic voice. In practice,

however, they had very limited powers. One of their main functions was the

organization of festivals and games in favor of the imperial cult. The allusion

to these games is normally seen in the legends or iconography of the coins which

they issued. Other typical images are the temple of the koinon or

personifications of the Senate

The koina should not be thought of as independent political powers. They were,

of course, under Roman control. In fact, the Roman proconsul or provincial

governor is sometimes named on these coins.

Neocorus was a Greek title which designated the in­dividual who had charge of

the interior of a temple and looked out for the temple’s needs. In Roman times,

provincial Greek cities often styled themselves as the neocori of the imperial

cult. This was an obvious form of flattery, which insinuated the godliness of

the emperor and indicated the city’s devotion and loyalty. The neocorate of a

city was a great and coveted honor, and not one which was presumed arbitrarily.

The emperor allowed the bestowing of this right only to cities which had earned

the status. Consequently, cities were eager to announce this consideration and

usually did so on their coinage. The proclamation of a neocorate on coins was

often accompanied by a depiction of the temple.

Originally, it was imperial policy that only one neocorate would be allowed in a

city. This rule was later relaxed, and several cities were allowed two or more

neocorates. The subsequent awards were depicted on coins by showing two or three

temples along with an appropriate inscription. The first neocorate of a city was

usually mentioned in the inscription simply as NEΩKOPΩN. The second appeared as

B NEΩKOPΩN, the third as F NEΩKOPΩN (e.g. Pergamum).

The approval of neocorate was usually accompanied by games and festivals. The

coins struck for these events often displayed a combination of neocorate and

agonistic imagery. Like the number of temples depicted, there also seems to be a

correlation between the imagery and the award on some of the “games” issues.

Although this may be coincidental, coins bearing the single NEOKOPOC often have

a singular agonistic crown or urn, which is in the center field between the

temples. Those indicating a second or subsequent neocorate have two or more

crowns.

The iconography of neocorate and agonistic references is very complex and not

fully understood by most numismatists. It is, however, a wonderful area for

study, research and discovery. You may learn more about the interrelationships

between these aspects of religion, civic administration and public events, and

then we will undoubtedly be able to unravel some of the underlying symbology.

Alexander III of Macedon, popularly known to history as Alexander

the Great,

(“Mégas Aléxandros“)

was an

Ancient Greek

king (basileus)

of

Macedon

. Born in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father

Philip II of Macedon

to the throne in 336 BC, and died in

Bablyon

in 323 BC at the age of 32.

Alexander was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and

it is presumed that he was undefeated in battle. By the time of his death, he

had conquered the

Achaemenid Persian Empire

, adding it to Macedon’s European territories;

according to some modern writers, this was much of the world then known to the

ancient Greeks (the ‘Ecumene‘).

His father, Philip, had unified most of the

city-states

of mainland Greece under Macedonian

hegemony
in

the

League of Corinth

. As well as inheriting hegemony over the Greeks, Alexander

also inherited the Greeks’ long-running feud with the

Achaemenid Empire

of

Persia

. After reconfirming Macedonian rule by quashing a rebellion of

southern Greek city-states, Alexander launched a short but successful campaign

against Macedon’s northern neighbours. He was then able to turn his attention

towards the east and the Persians. In a

series of campaigns

lasting 10 years, Alexander’s armies repeatedly defeated

the Persians in battle, in the process conquering the entirety of the Empire. He

then, following his desire to reach the ‘ends of the world and the Great Outer

Sea’, invaded India, but was eventually forced to turn back by the near-mutiny

of his troops.

Alexander died after twelve years of constant military campaigning, possibly

a result of malaria

, poisoning

,

typhoid fever

, viral

encephalitis

or the consequences of alcoholism. His legacy and conquests

lived on long after him and ushered in centuries of Greek settlement and

cultural influence over distant areas. This period is known as the

Hellenistic period

, which featured a combination of

Greek

,

Middle

Eastern
and

Indian culture

. Alexander himself featured prominently in the history and

myth of both Greek and non-Greek cultures. His exploits inspired a literary

tradition in which he appeared as a legendary

hero in the

tradition of Achilles

.

Alexander fighting Persian king Darius III. From Alexander

Mosaic, from Pompeii, Naples, Naples National