Alexander's Coins and Alexander's Image

by Carmen Arnold-Biucchi

Why another book on Alexander with more than two thousand already in print? This publication presents a clear, up-to-date synthesis of the most recent research on the coinages of Alexander and his successors. While initially produced to accompany a numismatic installation in the Greek gallery of the Harvard University Art Museums' Arthur M. Sackler Museum and a Harvard undergraduate course, the book is not strictly an exhibition catalogue. Rather, it serves a broader purpose as a catalogue for Harvard's Alexander and related coins as well as a general introduction to coins, and, specifically, to coins of the era. Of interest to collectors and numismatists, the book introduces ancient Greek coins and the development of portraiture on coins and also offers an overview of the complexity of the historical events and coinages from the time of Alexander I of Macedon to the end of the Hellenistic monarchies in 31 B.C. In a section on the afterlife of the image of Alexander, the author presents some original ideas on the Poros coinage and discusses some Baktrian coins as well as Alexander's cult during the Roman empire, particularly in relation to the Abu Qir medallions.

Genres: Numismatics

84 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2007