Tuesday, 20 August 2013

Drachma of Alexander the Great



Alexander the Great, as depicted on a silver drachma coin issued early in his reign. Alexander is shown here wearing the lion’s head helmet that was traditionally worn by the demi-god Herakles (Hercules). The Macedonian royal family claimed to be descended from Herakles. Never before had a mortal been portrayed on a coin. The move by Alexander was a bold departure from tradition.

from "Alexander the Great at the Battle of the Granicus" by Rupert Matthews.

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In this, the third book of Spellmounts Campaign in Context series, Rupert Matthews looks to the first major campaign of Alexander the Great. One of the most famous generals all time, Alexander was just 20 when he led his army into battle at Granicus. Despite his youth and his army being heavily outnumbered, he was victorious, and it was this victory that allowed him to conquer Asia Minor. The course of this key battle remains controversial, owing to conflicting accounts in contemporary sources. As with his previous titles in the series, Rupert Matthews carefully balances the evidence from textual sources with knowledge of the battlefield and reconstructed weaponry in order to explain the events of the battle to the general reader, and the context in which it took place.
 
 

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