Tetradrachm AR 24 mm, 16.80 g, 7 h
Susa, struck under Koinos, circa 324-323 BCE.
Price 3829
Susa is another city that can receive an entire book, and I will have to add to this entry over time. In terms of this site, by far the most spectacular thing that happened here were the Susa Weddings in 324 BCE, which were an attempt by Alexander the Great to marry East and West, literally.
Over 10,000 of his soldiers were ordered to take Asian wives. To make things more worthwhile, he also offered generous dowries to each. To his most trusted officers, he gave them members of the Persian royal family.
Alexander himself married two daughters of Darius and Ataxerxes, likely to further legitimize his throne.
Most of the weddings didn’t last long. The Macedonians quickly got rid of their Persian wives. However, there were exceptions. Seleukos I Nikator married Apama, with whom he remained until his death and who mothered the future king Antiochos I Soter.
This coin was minted around the time of the Susa weddings, and may have been held by one of the grooms.
Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 17.08 g, 8 h)
Susa, circa 296/5-281.
Laureate head of Zeus to right. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ / ΣEΛEΥKOΥ Athena, brandishing spear overhead in her right hand and holding shield in her left, standing right in quadriga of elephants moving to right; above to right, spearhead; before elephants, monogram of MΩ. SC 177.2.
Susa, circa 322-320 BCE
Minted by Antigenes
Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre; [BAΣIΛEΩΣ] below, AΛEΞANΔPOY to right, monogram to left, ΛA below throne. Price 3846. 17.04g, 24mm, 6h.
Obol Silver, 8.5 mm, 0.73 g, 1 h
Susa, struck under Aspesias, satrap of Susiana, circa 316-311 BCE
Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress.
Rev. AΛEΞANΔPO[Y] Zeus seated left on low throne, holding long scepter in his left hand and eagle standing right with closed wings in his right; to left, wreath; below throne, K above monogram of ΠΡ.
Price 3860