Info on this medalion?

[yiannis]

Hello companions.
Me and Maciek were trying (unsuccessfully) to determine the origins of this Alexander's medallion:
http://www.angelfire.com/il/AlexanderTh ... Coin.GIFDo you have any idea on its whereabouts?

[S]

Greetings Yiannis,That could be the medallion that was found, if I recall, in Aboukir, Egypt. I cannot recall where it is, currently, but perhaps one of the posters above can?Museum? Private collection? "Lost"?The Aboukir medallion is unusual in that it shows the "worry lines" and the physical toll on Alexander.Regards,
Sikander

[karla]

Hey all, the "Aboukir Medallion" is being displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art":http://www.metmuseum.org/special/gulben ... w_29.htmIt seems to be a different medallion from the one pictured in the URL site that you listed, so I'm not sure if this is the one you mean. It is mentioned in the above site that the medallion was found at Aboukir and it does show a tired/weary expression on Alexander, complete with worry lines on his forehead...--Karla

[susan]

There was a group of 20 coins found at Aboukir, Egypt, in 1902 or 1912 ( depending on which site you look at). They were all called 'medallions'; therefore, there are several Aboukir medallions. I think it's probably at the Metropolitan Museum, but I'll look further. Susan

[susan]

I've also found:http://www.snible.org/coins/hn/macedon.html#f
The authenticity of the twenty remarkable gold medallions discovered in Egypt (at Abukir?) in 1902 is still questioned by some leading numismatists, notwithstanding the powerful arguments in their favour advanced by Dressel (op. cit.), which no one has as yet been able to refute. They belong to the same class as the three gold medallions of the famous Tr-¿-ªsor de Tarse (Rev. Num., 1868, p. 309 ff.). Their types commemorate the national Macedonian hero, Alexander the Great, his mother Olympias, &c., and his exploits. Like the bronze issues of the Macedonian provincial -ª+è-ª+Å-ª+ë-ª+ì-ª+Å-ª+ì, and like the municipal issues of Beroea and Thessalonica, with which they have much in common, they must have been struck for successive Macedonian agonistic festivals doubtless as prizes, -ª+ì-ª+ë-ª+è-ª+ç-ª+ô-ª+ç-ª+æ-ª+ë-ª+ü, in the Games. One of them fortunately furnishes us with a precise date, indicative of the period to which they all belong, although it is probable that some of them may have been struck a few years earlier and others a few years later. The medallion in question (Dressel, op. cit., Pl. III. 3) has on the obv. a helmeted bust of Alexander with cuirass and shield, and on the rev. Athena standing holding spear and helmet, with coiled serpent before her, and behind her an olive tree and a column inscribed -ª-»-ª-½-ª-¦-ª-¼-ª-¦-ª-¬-ª-í -ª-ñ-ª-»C (= -í-«-ª-»-ª+ï-ª+ö-ª+î-ª+É-ª+ë-ª+ü 274 of the Actian era = A.D. 242-3). This date corresponds with the first celebration of the -í-«-ª-»-ª+ï-ª+ö-ª+î-ª+É-ª+ë-ª+ü -í-«-ª-í-ª+ï-ª+à-ª+Ä-ª+ü-ª+ì-ª+ä-ª+æ-ª+ë-ª+ü at Beroea (q. v.) while the emperor Gordian III was visiting the city. Among these gold medallions there is only one specimen with an obv. type, a head of Apollo (Dressel, op. cit., p. 58), which seems to be unconnected with the cultus of Alexander, and Dressel suggests that this specimen may have been struck for the rival games called -ª-¦-ª+ö-ª+ê-ª+ë-ª+ü celebrated at the free city of Thessalonica (q. v.). Illustrations of the complete series of these medallions are given in the Journ. Int. d'Arch. Num., 1907, Plates VIII-XIV.

[Tre]

I believe actually these had been dated to the period of Caracalla, who was famed for his attempts to imitate Alexander and even had his army dress up as "Macedonians." Some have said that the Alexander was 'changed' to have the King more resemble the coarser features of Caracalla.Regards,Tre

[susan]

Yes, indeed, the medallions were probably made about 500 years after Alexander died, so there's no real reason to think they are a particularly close likeness.Susan

[beausefaless]

I'm sending you pictures of four of the six plates in reference to Susan's posts.

[agesilaos]

Karla's medallion is a copy of a Lysimachos coin though the head should face right, the three quarter view was popular and there is a series of Sicilian coins or Rhodian perhaps of Alexander-type as Apollo. An excellent resource for coins is Westwinds.com which includes thumbnail photos and realisations

[beausefaless]

Westwinds.com? With that aside!"Karla's medallion is a copy of a Lysimachos coin though the head should face right",I totally agree, this thought had crossed my mind and I'm glad you mentioned it. Some coin collectors of Alexander's believe the obverse of the Lysimachos coin is the closest resemblance of ATG, that's what's great about a democracy, everyone has a right to their opinion.

[Cyrus]

Archaeological Museum of Shahrekord: http://www.iranmiras.org/fr_site/newsf/ ... tm+é+î+£+æ +ñ+ª+ö+è+Ñ +Ä+ÿ +ú+¡+Ä+¡ +ú+æ+ê+ª+ÿ +ê+Ñ +Å+ª+æ+Ñ +ç+¡+í+ç+ú+¡-í +ú+Å+ç+í +ÿ+í+ç +ú+è+Ü+í+P +ê+Ñ +ç+ô+ƒ+ñ+Å+æ +ú+P+Å+ª+ñ+¡ (322 +P. +ú) +ç+Æ +ú+Ñ+ú+è+æ+¡+ñ +é+ï+ç+æ+¡ +ç+ô+è +ƒ+Ñ +Å+æ +ç+¡+ñ +ú+ª+Æ+Ñ +ê+Ñ +ñ+ú+ç+¡+ö ?+É+ç+ö+è+Ñ +ú+¡ +ö+ª+Å.An Elamite Cuneiform Brick Inscriptions and the Golden medallion of Alexander of Macedon (322 BC) are the most valuable treasures of this museum.

[yiannis]

Thanks for this Cyrus!
(Although the site could have been more informative).Regards,
Yiannis