This genuine ancient Greek coin has been
mounted in a modern 18 karat gold pendant.
Obverse: Diademed Head of Alexander the Great
Reverse: Club of Herakles, Quaestor’s Chair and
Money Chest Surrounded by an Olive Wreath
While Alexander the Great was forging his vast
kingdom in the east, the Romans had been
expanding in the west and now began making
inroads for Greece. They found willing allies in
Pergamum and Rhodes, who feared Syrian and
Macedonian expansionism. The Romans defeated
the Seleucid king, Antiochus III, in a three-year
campaign and in 189 B.C. gave all of Asia Minor
to Pergamum. Several wars were needed to
subjugate Macedon, but in 168 B.C. Macedon lost
the decisive Battle of Pydnaa and was turned into
a Roman province 20 years later. Under Roman
rule, the region’s economy was controlled by the
quaestor, any of various public officials
responsible for finance and administration in
several areas of government and the military in
ancient Rome. Aesillas, the quaestor under
whom this coin was minted, clearly manipulated
his influence into a position of power symbolized
by this coin.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This magnificent coin is a
memorial recording the Roman domination of
Macedon, once the home of Alexander the
Great’s vast empire, passed down from the
hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation.
