It is a true mark of a Greek hero that he is remembered after death. Alexander the Great’s heroic status is reflected in the appearance of his portrait on the coinage of his immediate successors. This silver tetradrachm featuring a portrait of Alexander was minted during the reign of Ptolemy I, son of Lagus, who was a general in Alexander’s army. Ptolemy was appointed satrap (ruler) of Egypt after Alexander’s death in 323 BCE and later pronounced himself king, taking the title of soter, meaning ‘saviour’.
Before Alexander, portraits on ancient Greek coins had been reserved for the gods. Ptolemy, among others, issued a new series of coins featuring Alexander on the obverse. Cleverly, instead of showing Alexander with the usual lionskin of Heracles, here he is wearing the scalp of an elephant, which represents his conquest of the Far East, as well as his colossal stature and invincibility. The elephant scalp also symbolised the authority Ptolemy was drawing on as the ruler of Egypt: by mixing visual elements of the heroic and divine with symbols of local cultural significance, Ptolemy created a powerful device to legitimise his rule.
