Alexander III 'the Great' of Macedon Æ Contorniate. Struck during the reign of Valentinian I or Valens. Rome, mid-late 4th century AD. ALEX[ANDE]R, bust right, wearing lion skin headdress / Scylla at right reaches out to snatch sailor from prow of galley on which stands Odysseus, helmeted and holding spear and shield; two companions stand behind him at left, two others fight the pull of Charybdis below right. Alföldi 39, p. 132, 4-8; Boston MFA #1975.335 (same obv. die). 22.96g, 39mm, 7h.

Near Very Fine, pierced and repaired(?).

From a private British collection.

Commonly considered the last great western emperor, Valentinian I's reign was marked by successful battles against the Alamanni, the Quadi and the Sarmatians, as well as campaigns across both the Rhine and Danube. His time wearing the purple, during which he raised his brother Valens to be co-emperor and rule the east of the empire, founded the Valentinian Dynasty; it is clear from the present contorniate that a comparison with Alexander 'the Great', widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders and seen here on the obverse, was considered flattering, while the reverse composition highlights the feats of the great mythological hero Odysseus, thus burnishing his image further.

As described in Homer's Odyssey, one of Odysseus's most celebrated adversaries was Scylla: 'verily she has twelve feet, all misshapen, and six necks, exceedingly long, and on each one an awful head, and therein three rows of teeth, thick and close, and full of black death. Up to her middle she is hidden in the hollow cave, but she holds her head out beyond the dread chasm, and fishes there, eagerly searching around the rock for dolphins and sea-dogs and whatever greater beast she may haply catch [...]' (Hom. Od. 12.73). It is said that 'by her no sailors yet may boast that they have fled unscathed in their ship, for with each head she carries off a man, snatching him from the dark-prowed ship,' (Hom. Od. 12.73). Indeed, as depicted in this reverse type, several of Odysseus's comrades were lost to Scylla, yet by his great skill and strength Odysseus managed to navigate her lair, the Straits of Messina, himself unscathed.