Macedonian Tetradrachm of King Archelaos I
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for Macedonian Tetradrachm of King Archelaos I
Macedonian Tetradrachm of King Archelaos I
Place of OriginGreece, Aigai (modern-day Vergina)
Dateabout 413-399 BCE
DimensionsMax L: 22.85 mm (2.3 cm); H: 4.24 mm (0.4 cm); Weight: 10.00 grams
MediumSilver.
ClassificationMetalwork
Credit LineGift of the Popplestone Family
Object number
2006.110
Not on View
DescriptionA silver tetradrachm of the Macedonian King Archelaos (413–399 BCE). The obverse depicts a head of Apollo wearing a taenia; the reverse shows a horse walking right with the legend ARCHELA (ref: Westermark Group II).
Label TextBefore Alexander the Great conquered the known world, his predecessors laid the groundwork for Macedonian power. King Archelaos, who minted this silver coin, modernized the Macedonian economy and moved the capital to Pella. The obverse features Apollo, a deity favored by the royal house, while the reverse displays a horse—a symbol of the region's famous cavalry, which would later become the engine of Alexander’s vast conquests across Asia.
after 146 BCE
1st century BCE
2nd-1st century BCE
477-388 BCE
5th century BCE
2nd-1st century B.C.E.
4th-3rd century BCE
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