Lot 3313

Description

Persia, Babylonia, Alexandrine Empire, (c.322-312 B.C.), silver double shekel, 23mm, (16.06 g), Babylon mint, obv. Baal seated left, holding sceptre, rev. lion walking left, **G* above, (S.6140, Nicolet-Pierre p. 291, 7, Traite -; SNG Cop. Suppl. 1240 var., [**G* retrograde]). Good very fine, very scarce, lightly toned.

Ex M.R.Roberts, with their priced ticket.

Upon finishing his expeditions to the outer limits of Asia Minor, Alexander the Great led his army eastward late in 331 BC. The metropolis of Babylon was surrendered by its satrap, Mazaeus, whom Alexander rewarded with the local governorship. Alexander made Babylon his royal seat, and there established one of his most important mints, from which a large quantity of regular Alexandrine or 'imperial' coinages were struck, including the impressive dekadrachms of circa 327/6 BC. In addition to the imperial' coinages, Babylon also produced a substantial group of local coinages, some of which initially bore the name of Mazaeus, but which continued without the name of a satrap after his death in 328 B.C. Silver coinage is represented by lion staters and at least three smaller denominations, all bearing a seated Baal on the obverse and a standing lion on the reverse. The staters initially were struck to the weight of the Attic tetradrachm, but eventually were reduced to the lighter Persic standard of the Babylonian shekel. Though initiated under Mazaeus, silver coinages were produced for decades, with the final silver coins probably being struck circa 288/7 BC under Seleukos I.