id: 97411 accession number: 1916.994 share license status: CC0 url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1916.994 updated: 2023-01-10 17:01:16.426000 Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander III [The Great] (obverse); Athena (reverse), 306 BC. Greek, Ptolemaic, minted at Alexandreia (Egypt), reign of Ptolemy I Soter. Silver; overall: 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.994 title: Tetradrachm: Head of Alexander III [The Great] (obverse); Athena (reverse) title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 306 BC creation date earliest: -306 creation date latest: -306 current location: creditline: Gift of J. H. Wade copyright: --- culture: Greek, Ptolemaic, minted at Alexandreia (Egypt), reign of Ptolemy I Soter technique: silver department: Greek and Roman Art collection: GR - Greek type: Coins find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ translation: remark: inscription: HP translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: Portraiture: The Image of the Individual opening date: 1983-11-22T05:00:00 Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984). title: Stories From Storage opening date: 2021-02-07T05:00:00 Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: The image of Alexander the Great in an elephant headdress references his Eastern conquests. digital 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.” wall description: --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS Neils, Jenifer. "The Twain Shall Meet." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 6 (1985). page number: p. 239 url: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25159914 --- IMAGES web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.994/1916.994_web.jpg print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.994/1916.994_print.jpg full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1916.994/1916.994_full.tif