Alexander III AR Drachm, Miletus, c. 336-323 BC, Heracles/Zeus, 4.25g 17mm

Alexander III, Drachm, silver, 336–323 BC, Miletus; 4.25 g, 17 mm.

Anepigraphic; head of beardless Heracles right, wearing the lion-skin headdress. Reverse with legend ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ; Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on a backless throne, eagle on outstretched right hand, sceptre in left, dotted border. Struck at Miletus on the Attic standard; compact flan with bankers’ marks/test punches and small flan flaws. Cited in SC 2090–91. Captured by Alexander in 334 BC, Miletus became an important mint for his silver coinage, which standardized the Attic weight system across Asia Minor. The Heracles/Zeus type signaled royal authority and Panhellenic legitimacy while financing the army and administration. These drachms circulated widely during and after Alexander’s reign, remaining a principal trade currency under the Diadochi.