Miletus (Alexander the Great), silver, drachms (325-294 BCE)
From SILVER
325 BCE - 294 BCE Silver 20,413 kg
Description
| ObverseInscription or printing placed on the obverse.: | Head of Heracles right, wearing Nemean lion skin headdress. Border of dots. |
| ReverseInscription or printing placed on the reverse.: | AΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (Greek).Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, thunderbolt in left field, monogram below throne. |
Mint and issuing power
| MintIdentifies the place of manufacture or issue of a numismatic object.: | Miletus | Ancient regionAncient region.: | Ionia | Modern countryModern country: Turkey | AuthorityIdentifies the issuing power. The authority can be "pretended" when the name or the portrait of X is on the coin but he/she was not the issuing power. It can also be "uncertain" when there is no mention of X on the coin but he/she was the issuing power according to the historical sources: | Alexander III the Great (Argead king, 336-323 BC) |
Chronology
| FromIdentifies the initial date in a range assigned in a numismatic context. | 325 BCE | toIdentifies the final date in a range assigned in a numismatic context.. | 294 BCE | PeriodTime period of the numismatic object.: Classical and Hellenistic |
Physical description
| MetalThe physical material (usually metal) from which an object is made.: | Silver 
|
Median weightMedian of the weights of numismatic objects (in grams). in grams | 4.20 | DenominationTerm indicating the value of a numismatic object. Examples: tetradrachm, chalkous, denarius.: | drachma
|
StandardStandard.: | Attic |
Image
H225 Miletus drachm.jpeg [1]
References
| Die study referencePublication of the study: | Thompson 19831Thompson 1983 | ||
| Coin series referenceReference to coin series study: | Price 19912Price 1991, n° 2088-2091, 2100, 2121, 2124-2130, RQEMH3RQEMH, n° 225 | ||
| Coin series web referenceCoin series web references: | |||
Obverse dies distribution
| FrequencyFrequency of specimen in distribution. ᵖ | Number of obversesNumber of obverse dies. ᵖ (o) | % (o) | Number of coinsNumber of coins. (n) | % (n) | Die nameName(s) of the die(s). |
| 1 | 77 | 52.74 | 77 | 27.02 | 33, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 14, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 69, 70, 71, 74, 75, 77, 81, 83, 85, 87, 88, 93, 96, 97, 98, 101, 102, 104, 108, 114, 115, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 141, 143, 144, 146, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 196, 197, 208, 214, 230, 234, 235, 236, 254, 255, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272 |
| 2 | 33 | 22.6 | 66 | 23.16 | 34, 35, 36, 39, 43, 56, 57, 66, 72, 73, 76, 79, 80, 86, 89, 94, 95, 99, 105, 110, 112, 118, 140, 142, 145, 147, 192, 195, 229, 263, 264, 265, 266 |
| 3 | 15 | 10.27 | 45 | 15.79 | 32, 47, 68, 91, 92, 106, 107, 111, 139, 191, 193, 194, 215, 231, 233 |
| 4 | 12 | 8.22 | 48 | 16.84 | 82, 84, 90, 109, 113, 185, 209, 210, 237, 240, 260, 261 |
| 5 | 6 | 4.11 | 30 | 10.53 | 54, 100, 103, 116, 238, 262 |
| 6 | 2 | 1.37 | 12 | 4.21 | 78, 232 |
| 7 | 1 | 0.68 | 7 | 2.46 | 213 |
| Total | 146 of 146 | 99.99 | 285 of 285 | 100.01 |
Reverse dies distribution
no distribution is available
Quantification
| Number of obversesNumber of obverse dies. ᵖ (o) | 146 | Number of singletons (o1)The number of singleton coins. ᵖ | 77 |
| Number of reverse diesNumber of reverse dies. (r) | 217 | Number of coinsNumber of coins. (n) | 285 |
| Coins per obverse dieNumber of coins per obverse die. (n/o) | 1.95 | Coins per reverse dieNumber of coins per reverse die. (n/r) | 1.31 |
| Reverse per obverse ratioRatio of obverse dies divided by reverse dies. (r/o) | 1.49 | Percentage of singletons (o1)number of coins (n) divided by the number of singletons (o1) ᵖ | 52.74 % |
| Original number of dies (O) (Carter 1983 formula)The estimation of the number of coins according to Carter 1983 ᵖ | 243.01 | Coins struck if 20,000 as average productivity per dieCoins made if the average productivity for obverses (according to Carter) is 20,000. ᵖ | 4,860,200 |
| Original number of dies (O) (Esty 2011 formula)The estimation of the number of coins according to the singleton formula in Esty 2011 ᵖ (O) | 299.35 | Survival rate if 20,000 as average productivity per dieSurvival rate if average productivity is 20,000. ᵖ | 0.00006 |
| Coverage (o = % of O) (Esty 1984 formula)Esty 1984 - coverage (% of O) ᵖ (o = % of O) | 72.98% | Die productivity if survival rate 1/2,000Average productivity if survival rate is 1/2,000. ᵖ | 2,345.58 |
| Weight of silver (in kg) if 20,000 coins per die (O = Carter formula)Carter 1983 * Median weight * 20000 (*10 if gold or electrum) ᵖ | 20,413 kg <br /> 20,413 kg | Die productivity if survival rate 1/5,000Average productivity if survival rate is 1/5,000. ᵖ | 5,863.96 |
Remarks
References
- ^ Thompson, Margaret (1983), Alexander's Drachm Mints. I : Sardes and Miletus, NS 16, New York.
- ^ Price, Martin Jessop (1991), The Coinage in the Name of Alexander the Great and Philip Arrhidaeus: a British Museum Catalogue, 2 vol., Zürich-London, 637 p., 637 p., clix pl.
- ^ Callataÿ, François de (1997), Recueil quantitatif des émissions monétaires hellénistiques, Numismatique Romaine, Wetteren, X + 341 p.
