2017-04-22 Sat

Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great and the youngest son of King Amyntas III was enthroned in 359 BCE after his elder brothers died. Tetradrachms issued under him mostly feature a majestic portrait of Zeus and on the reverse and a horse ridden by a young jockey holding a palm branch, a victory symbol of those times. Zeus was the patron of the Olympic Games.

The portrait on this coin features sensitive expressions making it one of the finest contemporary works. The hair spills over the dotted border breaking the conventional rules of coin engraving at that time. Philip’s facial attributes have been featured on the portrait of Zeus. After his death, the style of coinage degraded a lot.

This ancient greek coin is the plate coin in the Le Rider and was part of a private collection of Henri de Nanteuil which now also a reference guide.