Alexander Tetradrachm

A tetradrachm from circa 330–325 BC, weighing 17 grams. The obverse shows Heracles wearing a lion skin, while the reverse depicts Zeus enthroned holding an eagle and a scepter, with the inscription "ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ" (of Alexander). Unlike his father's silver, this was a deliberate change to unify the entire empire under the Attic standard, making the international standard of the Greek world the standard of the empire. The scorpion symbol on the reverse indicates the Myriandros mint—a mark to differentiate between mints in the network that struck the same type.