Aradus (Alexander the Great), silver, tetradrachms (Heracles/seated Zeus) (328-320 BCE)
From SILVER
328 BCE - 320 BCE Silver 78,933 kg
Description
| Obverse: | Head of Heracles right, wearing Nemean lion skin headdress. (In field, M, Δ, B). |
| Reverse: | ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ (Greek).Zeus seated l., holding eagle and sceptre, in l. field, monogram. |
Mint and issuing power
| Mint: | Aradus | Ancient region: | Phoenicia | Modern country: Syria | Authority: | Alexander III the Great (Argead king, 336-323 BC), Macedonian kingdom |
Chronology
| From | 328 BCE | to | 320 BCE | Period: Hellenistic 323-30 BC 
|
Physical description
| Metal: | Silver
|
Median weight in grams | 17.14 | Denomination: | tetradrachm
|
Standard: | Attic |
Image
References
Obverse dies distribution
| Frequency ᵖ | Number of obverses ᵖ (o) | % (o) | Number of coins (n) | % (n) | Die name |
| 1 | 65 | 33.33 | 65 | 8.78 | 3, 5, 8, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 31, 38, 41, 50, 58, 67, 68, 69, 78, 79, 80, 88, 89, 90, 91, 96, 100, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 121, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, 136, 139, 147, 148, 153, 154, 161, 163, 168, 169, 190, 193, 196 |
| 2 | 31 | 15.9 | 62 | 8.38 | 7, 14, 21, 22, 34, 35, 37, 39, 40, 47, 52, 76, 82, 92, 93, 94, 97, 104, 113, 119, 122, 125, 140, 144, 152, 155, 160, 165, 175, 189, 195 |
| 3 | 16 | 8.21 | 48 | 6.49 | 2, 23, 24, 33, 48, 70, 71, 73, 137, 138, 151, 159, 162, 164, 170, 176 |
| 4 | 25 | 12.82 | 100 | 13.51 | 9, 10, 26, 27, 29, 36, 43, 44, 49, 56, 57, 62, 81, 86, 103, 106, 134, 141, 143, 149, 166, 173, 174, 184, 194 |
| 5 | 13 | 6.67 | 65 | 8.78 | 1, 4, 42, 45, 59, 66, 74, 95, 101, 145, 150, 156, 167 |
| 6 | 10 | 5.13 | 60 | 8.11 | 6, 46, 51, 98, 99, 177, 185, 187, 188, 192 |
| 7 | 8 | 4.1 | 56 | 7.57 | 11, 60, 65, 87, 142, 157, 171, 172 |
| 8 | 9 | 4.62 | 72 | 9.73 | 12, 28, 53, 61, 63, 72, 77, 180, 181 |
| 9 | 5 | 2.56 | 45 | 6.08 | 30, 32, 105, 158, 179 |
| 10 | 3 | 1.54 | 30 | 4.05 | 102, 183, 186 |
| 11 | 1 | 0.51 | 11 | 1.49 | 75 |
| 12 | 1 | 0.51 | 12 | 1.62 | 191 |
| 13 | 3 | 1.54 | 39 | 5.27 | 55, 85, 146 |
| 14 | 1 | 0.51 | 14 | 1.89 | 83 |
| 15 | 3 | 1.54 | 45 | 6.08 | 54, 64, 65 |
| 16 | 1 | 0.51 | 16 | 2.16 | 182 |
| Total | 195 of 195 | 100 | 740 of 740 | 99.99 |
Reverse dies distribution
no distribution is available
Quantification
| Number of obverses ᵖ (o) | 195 | Number of singletons (o1) ᵖ | 65 |
| Number of reverse dies (r) | 383 | Number of coins (n) | 740 |
| Coins per obverse die (n/o) | 3.79 | Coins per reverse die (n/r) | 1.93 |
| Reverse per obverse ratio (r/o) | 1.96 | Percentage of singletons (o1) ᵖ | 33.33 % |
| Original number of dies (O) (Carter 1983 formula) ᵖ | 230.26 | Coins struck if 20,000 as average productivity per die ᵖ | 4,605,200 |
| Original number of dies (O) (Esty 2011 formula) ᵖ (O) | 264.77 | Survival rate if 20,000 as average productivity per die ᵖ | 0.00016 |
| Coverage (o = % of O) (Esty 1984 formula) ᵖ (o = % of O) | 91.22% | Die productivity if survival rate 1/2,000 ᵖ | 6,427.52 |
| Weight of silver (in kg) if 20,000 coins per die (O = Carter formula) ᵖ | 78,933 kg <br /> 78,933 kg | Die productivity if survival rate 1/5,000 ᵖ | 16,068.79 |
Remarks
Most likely one single workstation
References
- ^ Duyrat, Frédérique (2005), Arados hellénistique. Etude historique et monétaire, Beirut
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hoover, Oliver D. (2010), The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series. 10. handbook of coins of the Southern Levant : Phoenicia, southern Koile Syria (including Judaea), and Arabia, Lancaster-London, lxxix, 201 p.
