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Drachm Alexander III Type
| Issuer | Uncertain Eastern European Celts |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 1 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Celticised head of Herakles facing right, rendered in a highly abstract and schematised native Celtic style derived from the Macedonian prototype. The hair is depicted as bold, deeply incised parallel ridges sweeping dramatically to the left, replacing the classical lionskin headdress of the original type. Facial features are reduced to simple geometric forms — a prominent oval eye, a squared nose, and a small mouth — characteristic of Eastern Celtic die-cutting. A dotted border frames the right portion of the field, and a small pellet appears in the right field. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Celtic imitative coinage of the Alexander drachm type proliferated across a vast arc from the Carpathian Basin into the Balkans, with production spanning generations and passing through hands that had no political connection to Macedon whatsoever. The prototypes entered Celtic circulation largely through mercenary service and Hellenistic trade contact, after which local workshops progressively abstracted the original imagery across successive die generations — each copy of a copy drifting further from the source.
Attribution to "Uncertain Eastern European Celts" reflects genuine scholarly disagreement rather than incomplete research. The Kostial and Göbl corpora have systematized hundreds of die groups, but regional assignment for many sequences remains contested.