pothos.org

Hello,

I came across this Abu Qir medallion, the Alexander Medallion, kept in a German museum (I think...). OK, so I was looking and looking, and those Alexander's attributes (the hair, the leaned look etc.) do not appear there. The only relation to Alexander are on the reverse: the words Basilews Alexandrou.

Anyway, I think it is very interesting, since it:
1 - is said to be original, 3rd century BC (as far as my Google searches go)
2 - looks to me to be very very lifelike, whomever this is portraying (a hero*, a god, Alexander etc.), differently to other coins

So, any of you have any ideas about this medallion? Could this be the face of Alexander as in life (maybe after some lost sculpture -- it uh even makes me think a bit about the Alexander Mosaic - coz of sideburn )



*I thought of...Achilles.

This is part of a series of late Roman medallions the other two (of which I am aware) show Olympias and Philip II, they awards in some competition or other in the 3rd century, though don't hold me to that, they occur in most books as illustrating their subject, but are probably as accurate as a renaissance imagining.

agesilaos wrote: but are probably as accurate as a renaissance imagining.

And as accurate as those coins with ram horns and lion's scalp, and obviously-pretty marble faces, bronze statuettes, and all that...

Thanks for telling me about the Abuqir thing.

Anyway, I still think it very human-faced. Oh who knows!