HELLENISTIC GREECE
KINGDOM OF MACEDON (800's - 146 BC) - EMPIRE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
REIGN OF PHILIP III (323-317 BC) -ARGEAD DYNASTY
GOLD STATER CERTIFIED BY NGC ABOUT UNCIRCULATED
OBV: HEAD OF ATHENA RIGHT IN CRESTED DOUBLE PLUMED CORINTHIAN HELMET WITH SNAKE ORNAMENT BENEATH PLUME AND THREE LONG BRAIDS OF HAIR FALLING STRAIGHT DOWN FROM BENEATH HELMET.
REV: WINGED NIKE STANDING LEFT, HOLDING A LAUREL WREATH OUTRSTETCHED IN RIGHT HAND AND SHIP'S MAST OR STYLIS IN LEFT HAND; MONOGRAM AND GREEK LEGEND RIGHT AND MINTMARK LEFT OF ATHENA'S RIGHT FOOT.
BORN ARRHIDAEUS (359-317), SON OF PHILIP II OF MACEDON AND HALF-BROTHER TO ALEXANDER III (THE GREAT), HE WAS IN BABYLON AT THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER IN 323 BCE.
MENTALLY UNFIT, HE BECAME KING AFTER MUCH INTRIGUE AND VIOLENCE AMONG THE MACEDONIANS AND, IN A COMPROMISE, ASSUMED THE THRONE AS PHILLIP III. HE WAS TO REIGN, BUT NOT RULE, ALONGSIDE HIS INFANT NEPHEW ALEXANDER IV (POSTHUMOUS SON OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND ROXANA), WITH THE GENERAL, PERDICCAS AS REGENT.
THE FIRST WAR OF ALEXANDER'S GENERALS, THE DIODOCHI, GAVE EURYDICE, THE AMBITIOUS WIFE OF PHILIP III, THE CHANCE TO MOVE AGAINST PERDICCAS, WHO WAS ASSASINATED.
EURYDICE INTRIGUED AGAIN AGAINST THE NEXT FEW REGENTS, TRYING TO FREE CONTROL OF HER HUSBAND AND GIVE HER THE POWER THAT SHE CRAVED.
OLYMPIAS, MOTHER OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, INVADED MACEDON WITH HER NEPHEW (THE KING OF EPIRUS) AND WITH THE HELP OF THEN REGENT POLYPERCHON, CAPTURED PHILIP III AND PROUD EURYDICE.
PHILIP III WAS EXECUTED AND EURYDICE WAS FORCED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
THE MACEDONIAN GOLD STATER WAS THE PREEMINENT STANDARD GOLD TRADE COIN OF HELLENISTIC TIMES. MANY WERE COINED THROUGHOUT THE CONQUERED CITIES ALEXANDER MARCHED THROUGH. A GREAT NUMBER OF ALEXANDRIAN STATERS WERE MADE FROM CAPTURED ACHAEMENID GOLD IN THE FORM OF IMPERIAL PERSIAN DARIC COINS, KNOWN BEFORE THE CONQUEST FOR THEIR CONSISTENT WEIGHT AND PURITY.
CONTAINS 8.5 GRAMS OF GOLD
16-18 MM IN DIAMETER
