Coin of Lysimachos
- Audio guide stop: 282
- Gallery: Room 22
- Culture: Greek
- Made in: Lampsacus (historic); Kingdom of Thrace
- Date: 305BC-281BC (circa)
- Object type: coin
- Materials: silver
- Museum number: 1919,0820.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a silver coin from ancient Greece, minted between 305 and 281 BC. On the front, you'll see the head of Alexander the Great turned to the right. He wears a diadem and the distinctive horns of the Egyptian god Amun. A series of dots borders the edge.
The back shows the goddess Athena seated to the left. In her right hand lies the winged figure of Nike, the goddess of victory, who is reaching out toward a crowning wreath. A spear rests behind Athena, and her left arm extends over a shield. To the left, a small image of a cult object is visible.
This coin was minted by Lysimachus, a former general of Alexander. After Alexander’s death, rulers like Lysimachus used coinage to claim his legacy. The Greek inscription on the back means "Of King Lysimachus," showing his desire to be recognized as Alexander’s true heir.
See it in person
Coin of Lysimachos is on display in Room 22 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 282, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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