Alexander III AR Drachm 336–323 BC, Heracles/Zeus, 4.25g, 17mm

Alexander III, drachm, silver, reign 336–323 BC, struck 336–323 BC, uncertain mint; 4.25 g; 17 mm. Anepigraphic obverse with head of beardless Heracles right wearing the lion-skin headdress, forepaws tied at neck. Reverse ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ; Zeus Aëtophoros seated left on a backless throne, eagle on outstretched right hand, sceptre held in left; no control marks discernible. Struck on a compact flan; obverse centrally struck; reverse legend partly off flan with light circulation wear. References: precise Price number indeterminable without visible controls; compare Price, Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great (general AR drachm type); cf. Sear Greek 6700ff.; cf. SNG Copenhagen, Macedonia, passim.

These silver drachms formed the core payment medium of Alexander’s armies and administration on the Attic standard, and their uniform types—Heracles and Zeus with the legend of Alexander—were continued by many mints during and after his lifetime across the Macedonian Empire. The series facilitated trade and fiscal integration from Greece through Asia Minor and the Near East, remaining a dominant international currency for decades after 323 BC.