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What If!?!? What if Alexander had turned west instead of east?


Ryro

Alexander vs Rome  

21 members have voted

  1. 1. Who wins?

    • Alexander/Makedon
      17
    • Roman Republic and allies
      4


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579868184_51qBE5P08PS._AC_SY780_2.jpg.fae438975ed7e4329e1278c8755fb9ce.jpg

1347407.jpg.345a53c27ff8a5b60c06bdd53ca0cb0d.jpg

This is inspired by the old Marvel comics from my childhood. They had their "What If?" comics. As in things like, what if Hulk fought Juggernaut? What if, Punisher killed Spiderman?? Or what if Wolverine's pecker was also made of adamantium?!?!!

_main-10-most-kick-ass-female-super-heroes-and-villains.jpg.7a7a0cad47f94306c330e29961758435.jpg

OK, okay. I might've read that last one in my hormone addled mind.

This is a format for us to do our best to subjectively put our knowledge to use for our imaginations sake... and it's alright to rib the team that you're against along the way. I'm looking at you late Roman infantry. You guys couldn't outflank a herd of alley cats!

stray-cats_Lea-Rae-Shutterstock.jpg.d6b9b06735869ab84543890a6378ef45.jpg11_770_437108910995190901511980100_8618.jpg.8fdbd487713a1187dde160da172f60bc.jpg(man and cat kind will never forget the atrocities committed by the Romans as they fled the battle of The Garfieldian Bridge. *Really wanted to use the actual Roman battle of the "Cat"alaunian Plains here, but that's RR)

But that's a different, What If?

Alright, alright, alright; on to the scenario. I've looked at this a few ways; what if Alexander had turned back around AFTER all he'd accomplished in the east, survived, and then went after Rome?

I don't see this as a fair fight. Alexander would have had no problem building up whatever munitions, man power et al that he needed to do away with Rome and Carthage at the same time:

homer-simpson-chasing.gif.5efee1c0c470d92da0006a54e9059857.gif

Or I wondered, what if Alexander split from his father, decided to go west to build his foothold before coming back to take Makedon from Pops, Philip II? Something to the affect of what Pyrrhos, Alexander's first cousin once removed, had done with the Tarentum. But this really does put Alexander on the back foot. Just like Pyrrhos and many after him learned, Rome has the bench strength of the 86 Celtics with their Italian allies:

Celtics.jpg.e8fbaf705465ec7c8a472befa8c7e901.jpg

(Actual picture of Roman Republic and allies. Surprising green)

So, I propose the question: What If instead of going east, after his father's death and he'd taken control of Greece, Alexander went west to face Rome?

Battle_of_Issus_mosaic_-_Museo_Archeologico_Nazionale_-_Naples_2013-05-16_16-25-06_BW.jpg.4af6b1b9e2cbff4cb38aa92f412ecf9b.jpg

Altar_Domitius_Ahenobarbus_Louvre_n3.jpg.1e59e09a637d43650428d18ec4766c2e.jpg

We can make up whatever backstory we want here. Alexander wanted to be his own man and not do what his father had already planned. Alexander had heard stories of all the silver the Romans were getting from Spain. Alexander once saw a Roman man and found him so attractive that he vowed right then and there to kill every last one of them. Etc

I will not be adding my two cents until,  hopefully, we get some solid, educated and fun answers. 

930053077_Tweet4.gif.b02a4d7660c188f5dbcefcf417e49949.gif

Please make this thread easy on the eyes by adding coinage from both combatants of the time (or as close as you can get). And add a throwback song from your childhood is always cool too.

Some of mine from the time:

2017359_1624822945.l-removebg-preview.png.f9664c710d1c0321ad8f4a778f4f7839.png

Philip II AR Tetradrachm. Pella, 342-336 BC. Lifetime issue. Laureate head of Zeus right / Youth on horseback right, holding palm and reins; thunderbolt below, [N in exergue]. Le Rider 222-306. 14.22g, 24mm, 7h. VF. Purchased from Savoca July 2021

 

198737359_2246527_1633695877.l(1).jpg.98b0584f0d10f59187e5099f3a686d9a.jpg

MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). AR tetradrachm (28mm, 10h). ANACS XF 40. Lifetime issue of Amphipolis, ca. 336-323 BC. Head of Heracles right, wearing lion skin headdress, paws tied before neck / AΛEΞANΔPOY, Zeus seated left on backless throne, left leg drawn back, feet on ground line, eagle in right hand, scepter in left; Macedonian shield in left field. Price 57.

 

2176973_1631475706.l-removebg-preview.png.93d11c2c8744a1a2671f0d596a1a9ad2.png

Philip II 359-336 B.C. AE unit (18.7 mm, 6.29 g, 4 h). Uncertain Macedonian mint. Head of Apollo left, wearing tainia / ΦIΛIΠΠOY, youth on horseback riding right; 

 

2609522_1645832601.l-removebg-preview.png.00769b59c19c16dffda48954ba24b82a.png

Alexander III the Great (336-323 BC). Ae 1/4 Unit. Uncertain mint in Macedon. Possible lifetime issue.

Obv: Macedonian shield, with star on boss.

Rev: B - A.

Helmet; kerykeion to right.

Price 419A; HGC 3.1, 965 (Alexander IV).

Rare. Condition: Very fine. Weight: 2.08 g. Diameter: 11 mm

 

Vs

2464650_1641205031.l-removebg-preview.png.8cb858891784de10651b22fa3fc34a5d.png

BRONZE AGE. Proto Money. "Aes Rude" Style Bronze Cake shaped Ingot (2000-400 BC). 261 g, 6 cm.

This type of ingots is an intermediate product of prehistoric copper processing in Europe and an early form of currency. It was available both in pure copper and in various mostly natural bronze alloys. The archaeological finds contain both whole cakes in various sizes and pieces.

Purchased from Numismatik Naumann Feb 2022

 

IMG_0883.PNG.07fc66e08d88cd0e96aef5996dd3a316.PNG

"In Italy, as with other nations, early trade used a system of barter. Aes rude (Latin: "rough bronze"), used perhaps as early as the early 8th century B.C., was the earliest metal proto-currency in central Italy. In the 5th century B.C., bronze replaced cattle as the primary measure of value in trade. Aes rude are rough lumpy bronze ingots with no marks or design, some are flat and oblong, others are square, while many are irregular and shapeless. The metal is mostly copper with roughly 5% tin. Weight varies considerably with some exceeding twelve pounds and others under an ounce. Many smaller examples are fragments of broken larger specimens. A balance was necessary to measure value for commercial transactions."

weight 35.881g, length 36.1mm

5571CB7B-6AE9-4D42-AD60-EA14A56AD5EC.jpeg.84584082cf2315db8f0ae40336198103.jpeg

 

ROMAN REPUBLIC

Aes Formatum. Centuries VI-IV BCE CENTRAL ITALY or LAZIO. Anv .: Element in semicircular shape on one side and serrated on the other./ Ancient Batarang

Condition: Very Fine 83.41 gr 56.70 mm Former Ares

 

 

 

IMG_4234(1).JPG.360628818f9338ec5b8ea0c0c42790d1.JPG

ROMAN REPUBLIC. Anonymous. AE Aes Grave Triens (47mm, 92.37 gms), Rome Mint, ca. 225-217 B.C. VERY FINE.

Cr-35/3a; TV-53. Obverse: Helmeted head of Minerva left; four pellets (mark of value) below; all set upon raised disk; Reverse: Prow right; four pellets (mark of value) below; all set upon raised disk. A pleasing specimen despite its crudeness, with charming green surfaces. A test cut across Minerva's face is noted for completeness.

 

My throwback song:

 

 

greeks_b.jpg

Edited by Ryro
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Do You Want to tear a hole in the time-Space Continuum? Because this is how  you tear a hole in the time-space continuum. - Doc Brown Back to the Future  | Meme

There'd be no Faustina I or II!!! And I'd have to collect something else, like Macedonian shield coins!

Antigonos I Monophthalmos MSC helmet.jpg
Antigonos I Monophthalmos, king, 306/5-301 BC.
Greek Æ Unit, 15.4 mm, 4.21 g, 7 h.
Salamis mint under Demetrios I Poliorketes.
Obv: Macedonian shield, boss decorated with facing gorgoneion.
Rev: Macedonian helmet; kerykeion and monogram to lower left and right.
Refs: Price 3159; Zapiti & Michaelidou 7–8.
Note: Price attributes the coin to Philip III Arrhidaios (323-317 BC).

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Thanks so much for the responses and amazing coins @Roman Collector, @Octavius and @CPK.

I do have to go with the 6 folks that went with Alexander on this one. Though Rome, in general, always found a way to win, they had just been beaten up by the Gallic Celts 50 years before and Rome was completely sacked. Add to that, Alexander had his dad's grizzled vets that were extremely tough and the most brutal fighting force that the ancient world had seen up to that point. I don't see a bunch of part time farmers part time fighters, even with a their depth of reserves defeating that.

Alexander the Great - Wikipedia

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Edited by Ryro
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IMHO Rome wouldn't have stood a chance. Alexander would have bulldozed over them.

Reasons:

1) At the time of Alexander, Rome was still a pipsqueak state. It's possible that Alexander had barely heard of them.

2) Rome's main statement that Alexander's brother-in-law, Alexander I Molossos, died in his own campaign in Italy. However, he was a pretty horrible general and was done in by his own troops. Until then, he had been successful with a force far inferior to Alexander's.

3) Pyrrhos too defeated a much stronger Rome sometime later in two battles. His main issue was that the majority of his soldiers were mercenaries, and he too ran out of support from the locals.

I highly doubt Italy would have stood a chance against the well-oiled regiments Alexander would have brought, along with his military genius.

Here's some coins from the two candidates above.

Alexander I Molossos (and yes, I realize the reverse is sideways)

277144928_alexanderIMolossos.jpg.a471d29f8f00fbdaa87b1f6cebf19ff3.jpg

 

Pyrrhos

pyrrhos.jpg.0341a094d857be3f6a69192aa37e74d4.jpg

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With a total of 14 votes Alexander and Makedon take our first entry in the "What If" series, 11 to 3!

And the time has come to share the answers to the quiz. I was going to just type out one word answers but received such a wonderfully detailed response from @Sulla80 that I asked his permission to share his perfect 10 of 10 answers and he agreed:

1-Who had Alexander IV and Alexander III's mother Olympias murdered?

 

In summer 309 BC, Cassander commanded Glaucias to assassinate the 14-year-old Alexander IV and his mother.

 

2- What was the name of the massive drinking cup that Alexander supposedly downed before becoming ill and dying a few days later?

the "cup of Heracles" mentioned by Plutarch and explained by Diodorus Siculus in his Library.

 

As an aside: in 324 BC, Alexander the Great was in Susa and held drinking contest in honor of his dead friend, gymnosophist Calanus with award of 26 kg of gold.  All 41 contestants including the winner, a Greek soldier named Promachus who drank 13 liters of wine, died from alcohol poisoning.

 

3- Where was Philip II sent to as a hostage as a young man that he learned combat tactics, and would innovation on, that he would bring back to Makedon and institute to turn his into the greatest fighting force that the ancient world had ever known?

 

At the age of 12 Phillip was sent as a hostage to the Illyrians, King Bardylis, and around 14 he was sent to Thebes as a hostage.  In Thebes, he lived with Pammenes, a leading politician.  He remained in Thebes for three years and learned military strategies from Epaminondas, the great Theban general.  Philip’s soldiers were trained to move closely in a rectangular formation like one giant soldier armed with shields and spears. 

4- Where was Philip II's tomb found?

 

Under a hill, (the Great Tumulus) in Vergina, Greece, are the Royal Tombs of Vergina. Vergina is 70 kilometers from Thessaloniki.

 

 

You might enjoy my most recent Philip II related post:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/phillip-ii-and-the-perrhaiboi

and this one:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/who-is-buried-in-philip-ii-s-tomb

5- What were the Diadochi?

 

The Diadochi were the successors to Alexander the Great – they fought each other and divided up his empire after his death.

 

6- What, supposedly, were Alexander the great's last words?

 

On June 11th, about a month short of his 33rd birthday. The story that lingers is: when someone asked him: “To whom do you leave the kingdom?” he replied: “To the strongest.”

 

  In other versions he adds:  “I foresee great funeral games after my death.”

 

When Perdiccas asked him when he wanted to be paid divine honors he re¬plied: “When you yourselves are happy.”

 

7- Who were the first Makedon Shield coins minted under?

 

Macedonian shield coins, bronze quarter-obol (two chalkoi) were dated by Price dated as beginning near the end of Alexander's life, c.325 BC. Liampi argued that based on hoard evidence, that they were first minted as early as 334 BC.   Anyway you look at it these AE coins started under Alexander the Great.

 

8- What God did the Argead dynasty claim to descend from?

 

Since Herakles was a demi-god (son of a mortal woman and Zeus) the god that the Argead’s descend from is Zeus.

 

“As for the lineage of Alexander, on his father's side he was a descendant of Heracles through Caranus, and on his mother's side a descendant of Aeacus through Neoptolemus; this is accepted without any question. And we are told that Philip, after being initiated into the mysteries of Samothrace at the same time with Olympias, he himself being still a youth and she an orphan child, fell in love with her and betrothed himself to her at once with the consent of her brother, Arymbas.”

 

-Plutarch, Alexander 2.1

9- What dynasty finally fell to the Romans ending Makedon autonomy?

 

The last Macedonian king of the Antigonid dynasty, Perseus, was  defeated by the Romans in the Third Macedonian War in 168 BC. 

This Roman Republican denarius is one of my favorites, it celebrates the Roman victory in the Third Macedonian War, over the son of Philip V, Perseus, at Pydna in 168 BC by Lucius Aemilius Paulus, who was consul in 182 and 168 BC.

1946350526_LepidusConcordia.jpg.d73d30e3fa5ac786505645d80d68a1f4.jpg

 

 

10- What was the battle that Cleitus the Black, whom Alexander would murder in a drunken argument years later, saved Alexander's life?

 

Cleitus the Black saved Alexander's life at the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC and was killed by him in a drunken quarrel six years later.

 

Thank you all so much for playing to those that submitted answers as well as those that voted at the top.

Now it's time for the drawing...

Drum Roll Please - Viral Launch

And our winner who wins getting to decide who gets the coin is

.

.

.

.

.

@airhead1983!!! Coingrats and please let us know who you feel needs a Makedon shield coin from the Ryro collection???

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Oh wow!  Thanks so much, @Ryro!  It was a very fun quiz!
 

I seem to do a lot better on the quizzes here than I ever did at school!  Probably because I’m actually completely invested in ancient coins.  Lol

It’s so hard to choose because every member is deserving!  I would like this coin to go to @DonnaML.  She is a true pillar of our community! 😃

Erin

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1 hour ago, airhead1983 said:

Oh wow!  Thanks so much, @Ryro!  It was a very fun quiz!
 

I seem to do a lot better on the quizzes here than I ever did at school!  Probably because I’m actually completely invested in ancient coins.  Lol

It’s so hard to choose because every member is deserving!  I would like this coin to go to @DonnaML.  She is a true pillar of our community! 😃

Erin

Well, thank you for having some fun with me participating and you're more than welcome. 

Yeeeaaa! @DonnaML is a wonderful choice. I don't know if our community has anyone more knowledgeable and well studied in Roman Republic coins than she. Nor with a better eye for beauty. 

@DonnaML do you have a favorite Diadochi or would you rather a Roman Republic coin as your prize from Erin?

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5 hours ago, Ryro said:

1-Who had Alexander IV and Alexander III's mother Olympias murdered?

 

In summer 309 BC, Cassander commanded Glaucias to assassinate the 14-year-old Alexander IV and his mother.

 

Aaargh! Attention to detail got me! I interpreted this as "Who had Alexander IV's and Alexander III's mother Olympias murdered?", in which case the answer would have been Stateira. Thought I was being pretty smart when the truth was the opposite. 🙂 

 

5 hours ago, Ryro said:

7- Who were the first Makedon Shield coins minted under?

 

Macedonian shield coins, bronze quarter-obol (two chalkoi) were dated by Price dated as beginning near the end of Alexander's life, c.325 BC. Liampi argued that based on hoard evidence, that they were first minted as early as 334 BC.   Anyway you look at it these AE coins started under Alexander the Great.

You're obviously the expert here, but I was wondering about a coin found here under "AR Obol Star". Did Lampi discuss this coin? CNG was non-committal on assigning it to before or after Alexander, but it differs significantly in style from the others.

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22 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

Aaargh! Attention to detail got me! I interpreted this as "Who had Alexander IV's and Alexander III's mother Olympias murdered?", in which case the answer would have been Stateira. Thought I was being pretty smart when the truth was the opposite. 🙂 

 

You're obviously the expert here, but I was wondering about a coin found here under "AR Obol Star". Did Lampi discuss this coin? CNG was non-committal on assigning it to before or after Alexander, but it differs significantly in style from the others.

Thanks! Very strange coin.

Screenshot_20220922_184003.jpg.c0918216c9b9d7002b58c8c6b1ba1560.jpg

Unpublished and super funky, though I do love the design and symmetry of the shield. The reverse appears to be not a spoke but rather the eight rayed Argead/Makedon star... only this only has seven. I don't recall reading anything from her on this coin. I'll wait to see another example or two before judging, but if the example is authentic it most likely is a imitation. 

Ps, sorry for my poor wording on #7

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12 minutes ago, Ryro said:

Unpublished and super funky, though I do love the design and symmetry of the shield. The reverse appears to be not a spoke but rather the eight rayed Argead/Makedon star... only this only has seven. I don't recall reading anything from her on this coin. I'll wait to see another example or two before judging, but if the example is authentic it most likely is a imitation. 

This is a huge reach, but a quick search of seven-rayed stars showed this tet from Potideia. (NOT MY COIN)

potideia.jpg.a03b76522bb8c22edcb2c6a1fcf01106.jpg

Perhaps this coin comes from roughly the same place? Of course, the styles aren't the same, but there was at least some meaning for seven-rayed stars in this area.

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Thank you so much, @Ryro and @airhead1983! That's extremely kind of both of you.  I have to apologize for being so distracted the last few days that I didn't see this thread until yesterday, or spend much other time here. My very cherished 16 1/2 year old cat Ziggy, whom I've mentioned here before and who was ill for quite some time, died on Thursday evening -- peacefully, I think; he spent most of his last day lying on my bathroom floor, where it's always cool, basically non-responsive. I am devastated, as you can imagine. I loved him very much. He had been my constant and affectionate companion since I adopted him when he was six months old, and I have been with him almost 24/7 since I retired at the end of 2019. Especially since the pandemic began in March 2020, and he was diagnosed that fall with chronic kidney disease (the vet was astonished that he lived two years after the diagnosis): I hadn't spent a single night away from him in the last 30 months. Ziggy was the first pet I ever had who was really "mine," and I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to the point of wanting another cat. Not anytime soon, certainly. 

With further apologies to @Ryro for hijacking the thread with photos of Ziggy, here's a nice gif of him from a couple of weeks ago. He stopped eating shortly afterwards, but didn't stop drinking water until his last day.

image.gif.22e53cc44c3f4a26ebe78ae2d8b12b41.gif

About a week before he died, still looking pretty much like himself, even though he had lost a lot of weight already:

image.jpeg.5f55dfbe92291cd35346671a0ff412d2.jpeg

The day before he died, he was declining, but he still responded to my voice and still loved being picked up and held. He spent most of his time sleeping.

image.jpeg.3d799ce9230fab32b4f59714866b9ea1.jpeg

The night before he died, even though his ankles were really swollen from tumors that appeared in the spring, he decided one last time to jump the 2 1/2 feet from the arm of my living room sofa to the windowsill, where he always loved to spend time and get fresh air. He slipped and almost fell, but still had the strength to pull his body up with his arms. He spent the next couple of hours there, and I'm glad he was able to do that.

image.jpeg.6c8898ee06f23c008ed2ec184ba28b5f.jpeg

Happier times, February 2020

image.jpeg.16f4ead85c9541a7ec941cfdd57252c1.jpeg

in 2016 and 2017

image.jpeg.65a4a00707cc307814d8e60c3f9cc9ff.jpeg

image.jpeg.758ee94198a5a0aaf7f83a44462d5a52.jpeg

Going back another 10 years to 2006, my favorite photo of all, of my two boys sitting together: Ziggy at 6-8 months, my son at 16 years old. On the day Ziggy died, I put the phone up to his ear so my son could talk to him and say goodbye.

image.jpeg.8a56ea9716599ed3ef64bfbcff7f370e.jpeg

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My condolences @DonnaMLon the loss of Ziggy.

That comic was one of my favorites as a kid. Every Sunday morning, I'd eagerly wait for my father to walk downhill to get the newspaper. I was forbidden from touching it until he'd read it, but after he finished his breakfast I would get the comics and go straight to Ziggy, Peanuts, Garfield, and Calvin & Hobbes.

Our dog died a few years ago. The way he died may be NSFW, so I won't mention it here other than to say that he went very, very happy. What may amuse you though is a few weeks ago our neighbor stopped by and was really angry that our dog was getting into her yard. Despite our claims that this was highly unlikely, she was adamant it was our dog, at which we stated that - if true - there are bigger problems afoot.

I hope your cat doesn't become a zombie too.

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On 9/22/2022 at 12:44 PM, Ryro said:

With a total of 14 votes Alexander and Makedon take our first entry in the "What If" series, 11 to 3!

And the time has come to share the answers to the quiz. I was going to just type out one word answers but received such a wonderfully detailed response from @Sulla80 that I asked his permission to share his perfect 10 of 10 answers and he agreed:

1-Who had Alexander IV and Alexander III's mother Olympias murdered?

 

In summer 309 BC, Cassander commanded Glaucias to assassinate the 14-year-old Alexander IV and his mother.

 

2- What was the name of the massive drinking cup that Alexander supposedly downed before becoming ill and dying a few days later?

the "cup of Heracles" mentioned by Plutarch and explained by Diodorus Siculus in his Library.

 

As an aside: in 324 BC, Alexander the Great was in Susa and held drinking contest in honor of his dead friend, gymnosophist Calanus with award of 26 kg of gold.  All 41 contestants including the winner, a Greek soldier named Promachus who drank 13 liters of wine, died from alcohol poisoning.

 

3- Where was Philip II sent to as a hostage as a young man that he learned combat tactics, and would innovation on, that he would bring back to Makedon and institute to turn his into the greatest fighting force that the ancient world had ever known?

 

At the age of 12 Phillip was sent as a hostage to the Illyrians, King Bardylis, and around 14 he was sent to Thebes as a hostage.  In Thebes, he lived with Pammenes, a leading politician.  He remained in Thebes for three years and learned military strategies from Epaminondas, the great Theban general.  Philip’s soldiers were trained to move closely in a rectangular formation like one giant soldier armed with shields and spears. 

4- Where was Philip II's tomb found?

 

Under a hill, (the Great Tumulus) in Vergina, Greece, are the Royal Tombs of Vergina. Vergina is 70 kilometers from Thessaloniki.

 

 

You might enjoy my most recent Philip II related post:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/phillip-ii-and-the-perrhaiboi

and this one:

https://www.sullacoins.com/post/who-is-buried-in-philip-ii-s-tomb

5- What were the Diadochi?

 

The Diadochi were the successors to Alexander the Great – they fought each other and divided up his empire after his death.

 

6- What, supposedly, were Alexander the great's last words?

 

On June 11th, about a month short of his 33rd birthday. The story that lingers is: when someone asked him: “To whom do you leave the kingdom?” he replied: “To the strongest.”

 

  In other versions he adds:  “I foresee great funeral games after my death.”

 

When Perdiccas asked him when he wanted to be paid divine honors he re¬plied: “When you yourselves are happy.”

 

7- Who were the first Makedon Shield coins minted under?

 

Macedonian shield coins, bronze quarter-obol (two chalkoi) were dated by Price dated as beginning near the end of Alexander's life, c.325 BC. Liampi argued that based on hoard evidence, that they were first minted as early as 334 BC.   Anyway you look at it these AE coins started under Alexander the Great.

 

8- What God did the Argead dynasty claim to descend from?

 

Since Herakles was a demi-god (son of a mortal woman and Zeus) the god that the Argead’s descend from is Zeus.

 

“As for the lineage of Alexander, on his father's side he was a descendant of Heracles through Caranus, and on his mother's side a descendant of Aeacus through Neoptolemus; this is accepted without any question. And we are told that Philip, after being initiated into the mysteries of Samothrace at the same time with Olympias, he himself being still a youth and she an orphan child, fell in love with her and betrothed himself to her at once with the consent of her brother, Arymbas.”

 

-Plutarch, Alexander 2.1

9- What dynasty finally fell to the Romans ending Makedon autonomy?

 

The last Macedonian king of the Antigonid dynasty, Perseus, was  defeated by the Romans in the Third Macedonian War in 168 BC. 

This Roman Republican denarius is one of my favorites, it celebrates the Roman victory in the Third Macedonian War, over the son of Philip V, Perseus, at Pydna in 168 BC by Lucius Aemilius Paulus, who was consul in 182 and 168 BC.

1946350526_LepidusConcordia.jpg.d73d30e3fa5ac786505645d80d68a1f4.jpg

 

 

10- What was the battle that Cleitus the Black, whom Alexander would murder in a drunken argument years later, saved Alexander's life?

 

Cleitus the Black saved Alexander's life at the Battle of the Granicus in 334 BC and was killed by him in a drunken quarrel six years later.

 

Thank you all so much for playing to those that submitted answers as well as those that voted at the top.

Now it's time for the drawing...

Drum Roll Please - Viral Launch

And our winner who wins getting to decide who gets the coin is

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@airhead1983!!! Coingrats and please let us know who you feel needs a Makedon shield coin from the Ryro collection???

Man, that's some in-depth history!!!

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14 hours ago, DonnaML said:

Thank you so much, @Ryro and @airhead1983! That's extremely kind of both of you.  I have to apologize for being so distracted the last few days that I didn't see this thread until yesterday, or spend much other time here. My very cherished 16 1/2 year old cat Ziggy, whom I've mentioned here before and who was ill for quite some time, died on Thursday evening -- peacefully, I think; he spent most of his last day lying on my bathroom floor, where it's always cool, basically non-responsive. I am devastated, as you can imagine. I loved him very much. He had been my constant and affectionate companion since I adopted him when he was six months old, and I have been with him almost 24/7 since I retired at the end of 2019. Especially since the pandemic began in March 2020, and he was diagnosed that fall with chronic kidney disease (the vet was astonished that he lived two years after the diagnosis): I hadn't spent a single night away from him in the last 30 months. Ziggy was the first pet I ever had who was really "mine," and I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to the point of wanting another cat. Not anytime soon, certainly. 

With further apologies to @Ryro for hijacking the thread with photos of Ziggy, here's a nice gif of him from a couple of weeks ago. He stopped eating shortly afterwards, but didn't stop drinking water until his last day.

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About a week before he died, still looking pretty much like himself, even though he had lost a lot of weight already:

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The day before he died, he was declining, but he still responded to my voice and still loved being picked up and held. He spent most of his time sleeping.

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The night before he died, even though his ankles were really swollen from tumors that appeared in the spring, he decided one last time to jump the 2 1/2 feet from the arm of my living room sofa to the windowsill, where he always loved to spend time and get fresh air. He slipped and almost fell, but still had the strength to pull his body up with his arms. He spent the next couple of hours there, and I'm glad he was able to do that.

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Happier times, February 2020

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in 2016 and 2017

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Going back another 10 years to 2006, my favorite photo of all, of my two boys sitting together: Ziggy at 6-8 months, my son at 16 years old. On the day Ziggy died, I put the phone up to his ear so my son could talk to him and say goodbye.

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So sorry to read, Donna. I swore off pets when my little quaker Squirt died. But now my boys are getting to the age that they are asking for a dog. I guess I should look forward to all the sweet times they'll have with a pooch. I do love that black spot on Ziggy's nose and the picture of your two boys is precious. 

Some cat to remind of the old times:

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Alexander was very lucky in his Eastern campaign. Darius III was not a great adversary. Had I been Persian commander/ I would have put 50000 archers in 10 rows up front. Once they fill the skies with millions of arrows hitting the Macedonian formation/ game over. Then send in the infantry to finish the job. As for going West/ he would come up vs Carthage/ then Rome/ then the Germans/ Celts. Good luck with that.

Another problem/ the Persian Empire was composed  mostly of conquered peoples from Baktria/ Scythia/ Babylon/ Egypt/ Lydia,  thus its not the same as an army made up off ethnic Persians. In 2022 we have the same scenario playing out in the  Ukraine/ a corrupt/ vile leader Putin/ Russian invaders made up of recruits from non-Russian ethnic peoples.. This so called Federation in 95 percent conquered territories. Thus they are getting pounded by the Ukrainians. Here is my Persian Daric struck before Darius III.

lf - 2022-10-17T130427.381.jpg

lf - 2022-10-17T130445.378.jpg

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1 hour ago, panzerman said:

Alexander was very lucky in his Eastern campaign. Darius III was not a great adversary. Had I been Persian commander/ I would have put 50000 archers in 10 rows up front. Once they fill the skies with millions of arrows hitting the Macedonian formation/ game over. Then send in the infantry to finish the job. As for going West/ he would come up vs Carthage/ then Rome/ then the Germans/ Celts. Good luck with that.

Historically, archers had limited use against a Macedonian phalanx because their shields provided excellent defense. (The Macedonian Phalanx by Richard Taylor has an in-depth discussion on this) Darius' forces were quite formidable at the time and he easily had the largest army on the planet. A lesser known fact is that more Greeks actually fought on Darius' side than on Alexander's, and each satrap would have been a difficult foe himself.

IMHO, where Darius really failed and Alexander succeeded was in the former's inability and the latter's mastery of the psychology of war. Alexander knew very well that he didn't have to defeat every Persian/Baktrian/Indian/etc. He just had to cut the head off the army and the whole thing would collapse. He therefore went straight for Darius, who pissed himself and high tailed it out of there.

Alexander did have experience fighting non-Persian forces. He led campaigns against the Illyrians and annihilated Thebes. Both provided stiff challenges. Alexander likely would have faced off against many smaller forces such as those had he turned east. However, he certainly would have made alliances with local kings as he did in Asia Minor and his father had done. My suspicion is the majority of these kingdoms would have capitulated under Alexander's favorable terms and the few cities who held out (perhaps Rome among them) would have been wiped from the Earth as Alexander made examples of these cities.

Other than Halikarnassos, Alexander steamrolled through the Greek cities in Asia Minor in much this way. It was Persia itself who gave him the greatest resistance until its forces were routed.

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  • 1 month later...
On 9/22/2022 at 8:27 PM, kirispupis said:

You're obviously the expert here, but I was wondering about a coin found here under "AR Obol Star". Did Lampi discuss this coin? CNG was non-committal on assigning it to before or after Alexander, but it differs significantly in style from the others.

Regarding this coin from Wildwinds ex CNG:

image.png.f1cc823a31be612ef7b4325610ad71ad.png

Katerini Liampi does include 2 similar coins in "Der makedonishe Schild", 1998 which she catalogs and illustrates in Table 29 as

"Unbestimmte Illyrische Münzstätte"/ "Silbermünzen, bis etwa 168 v. Chr"

or

"Undetermined Illyrian Mint" "Silver Coins, from about 168 BC"

It seems likely to me that CNG attribution in sale 58 was not correct.

  The conclusion for question 7?  Liampi argued that based on hoard evidence, these coins were first minted as early as 334 BC.   Anyway you look at it these AE coins started under Alexander the Great.

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Edited by Sulla80
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