Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions

226 Pages·2003·2.44 MB·English

by  Frank L. Holt

Alexander the Great and the Mystery
of the Elephant Medallions

Alexander the Great
and the Mystery of the
Elephant Medallions
Frank L. Holt
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2003 by the Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Holt, Frank Lee.
Alexander the Great and the mystery of the elephant
medallions / Frank L. Holt.
p. cm. — (Hellenistic culture and society ; 44)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-520-23881-8
1. Coins, Greek. 2. Coins, Ancient. 3. Alexander, the
Great, 356–323 b.c.—Numismatics. 4. Elephants in
numismatics. I. Title. II. Series.
CJ385 .H65 2003
737'.22'0938—dc21
2003008772
Manufactured in the United States of America
13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and
totally chlorine-free (tcf). It meets the minimum
requirements of ansi/nisoZ39.48–1992 (R 1997)
(Permanence of Paper). 1
For my parents,with love and gratitude

CONTENTS
List of Maps and Illustrations
ix
Preface
xi
1. Man of Mystery
1
2. A Treasure
23
3. Picking a Fight
47
4. Whose Pachyderm, Whole or Halved?
68
5. Another Treasure
92
6. A Closer Look
117
7. A Dark and Stormy Night
139
Appendix A.The Published Elephant Medallions
167
Appendix B.Some Possible Forgeries of the Large Medallion
171
Appendix C.The 1973 Iraq Hoard
173
Select Bibliography
175
Index
191
Plates follow page 67.
MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
MAPS
1. Alexander’s empire 12
2. Nineteenth-century Afghanistan 32
3. The battle of the Hydaspes River 51
FIGURES
1. Augustus Franks listening to Schliemann’s lecture 28
2. The Franks Medallion 44
3. The Greek monogram (enlarged) as reported by 64
G.F. Hill
4. Two medieval representations of the elephant 82
5. The reverse of the large medallion 119
6. The obverse of the large medallion 125
PLATES
Plates follow page 67.
1. The Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii, showing Alexander in
battle against Darius
ix