The accession of Alexander the Great in 336 inaugurates a new epoch in coin-types. The main feature of the period from his accession to the conquest of Greece by Rome is the final establish ment of the portrait coin as the regular type of a currency and the great preponderance of regal issues.
The portrait of a living monarch took nearly a century to establish itself on a coin. Philip II. and Alexander the Great issued vast coinages throughout the ancient world but were con tent to put their name alone on the coin—latterly Alexander added the title Basileus. After his death his deified portrait appeared on the coins of Lysimachus in Thrace and on the early coins of Ptolemy I. in Egypt. It is not till 3o6 that we have a portrait of a living king on his coins when Ptolemy I. appears, still as god with the aegis of Zeus. Seleucus I. similarly puts himself on his coins as Dionysos ; in time the divine attribute is dropped and the ruler appears as a mortal wearing only the royal diadem. In Macedon Arrhidaeus, Cassander and Antigonos still follow the types of Alexander and the early coins of Demetrius Poliorcetes (306-283) are without a portrait. Soon however his own portrait appears, still with the horns that deify him. His successors only have types of deities. Pyrrhus does not appear on any of his extensive coinages but the last two kings of Macedon, Perseus and Philip V. have left very fine portraits. The kings of Pontus notably Mithridates VI. have a magnificent series of portraits. The kings of Pergamon use the same portrait throughout, that of the founder of the dynasty, Philetairos I., and the Ptolemies in Egypt throughout their long series use only the head and legend of Ptolemy I. (Pl. 1.-20), except on certain special issues (P1. I.-21). Among the early Seleucids Antiochus I. was reluctant to drop the portrait of Seleucus I., but the portrait of the becomes the rule in this series (P1. I.-18) ; far
ther east we have the long series of portraits of the Arsacids and the unparalleled series of Bactrian and Indian kings (P1. V.-1). The smaller series of Persis give some portraits, but they rapidly become stereotyped as do the coins of Elymais and Oman. The Jews (Pl. 11.-4) with that strict interpretation of the second com mandment as is later the case among the Arabs have no portraits, but the Nabathaean kings have.
The reverse types also show the influence of Alexander ; seated deities become common and go back to the Zeus on the tetra drachms of Alexander (Pl. I.-17), or standing deities which go back to the Nike on his gold (Pl. I.-13). The Seleucids have com monly a seated Zeus or Apollo. The Parthian series is unusual— the reverse shows the king seated, (perhaps) Arsakes I. the founder of the dynasty, treated with the respect due to a deity. The king's name remains on the reverse in keeping with its de velopment as the successor to a town name and does not yet appear alongside of the portrait. The ancient world did not know the custom of numbering kings of the same name; they are as a rule sufficiently distinguished by their epithets.
After the vast issues of gold by Philip II., Alexander and Lysimachus, gold is but rarely struck, except in Egypt. Silver is the general metal of coinage and the Attic standard, which Alexander had adopted for his tetradrachms, became the monetary standard of the world, except in Egypt ; there is a great increase in the bronze coinage, the local issue of which does not seem to have been seriously restricted by sovereigns and suzerains.
As the greater part of the Greek world was now ruled by the Diadochi, their various coinages naturally formed the main cur rencies of commerce. A number of civic and other coinages still survived however. Third century Athenian coinages are scarce except in bronze; occasionally as in 296 the issue of gold shows the straits to which the once wealthy city was come. In 229 when Macedon lost its supremacy over Athens and friendly relations were established with Rome a new era begins with the abundant issue of tetradrachms of the "new style" (P1. I.-19) which went on for two centuries. The Athena of these coins is not the old one but a copy of the head of the Parthenos of Phidias and the owl on the reverse is now perched on a Panathenaic amphora. The AOE still remains but a number of new legends and symbols are added to the reverse chronicling a long series of magistrates. Much light is thrown on the organisation of the Greek civic mints from these names and symbols. The other great coin issuing city, Corinth, went on striking its stater till 229 when by its surrender to Doson the long series came to an end.