Alexander's Image and the Beginning of Greek Portraiture March 16, 2007

This installation in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum illustrates the reign of Alexander the Great of Macedon and the beginning of portraiture through ancient coins.' The display will feature examples of coins from the Sackler's collections that depict Alexander and some of his successors. Alexander opened the way to revolutionary economic and ideological changes in the ancient monetary system. Until the 4th century b.c., most ancient Greek poleis struck their own coinage with their own types (motifs) and legends. Under the Macedonian kings, coins with the king's name and types were struck throughout the empire. The idealization and deification of Alexander on coins of his successors after his premature death in 323 b.c. led to new ways of representing the human figure. With the images of Alexander the Great, the use of individualized portraiture for political propaganda began in the Western world.