Alexander III AR Drachm, Sidon, under Philip III Arrhidaeus, 323-317 BC

Philip III Arrhidaeus, Drachm, Silver, 323–317 BC, 4.24 g, 17 mm. Sidon mint; posthumous issue in the name of Alexander III. Obverse anepigraphic: head of beardless Heracles right, wearing the lion-skin headdress. Reverse: AΛEΞANΔPOY; Zeus seated left on a backless throne, holding eagle on extended right hand and sceptre in left; Phoenician letters beneath the throne as Sidon mint control. Struck on a compact flan with complete types and full legend, minor central softness as struck. Reference: Price P169.

Historical significance: After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, his successors maintained the familiar Heracles/Zeus coinage to preserve monetary continuity across the former empire. This Sidonian drachm, issued under the authority of Philip III Arrhidaeus, reflects the integration of the Phoenician mints into the Macedonian fiscal system and helped finance garrisons and fleets during the opening phase of the Wars of the Diadochi, while the unchanged legend AΛEΞANΔPOY ensured acceptance across the eastern Mediterranean.