Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 506 15 Dec 2021
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IONIA, Ephesus. 2nd-3rd centuries AD. PB Tessera (17mm, 4.59 g, 12h). Diademed head of the deified Alexander / Cult statue of Artemis Ephesia facing; crescent to left, star to right. Gülbay & Kireç 196; Vossen 53. Dark tan patina. Good VF. Well struck for issue.
From the Dalzell Collection.
Following the death of Alexander, cults were established venerating the great king in both the Ptolemaic and Seleukid empires. Cults in many of the liberated Greek cities of Asia Minor were established by Alexander himself. In Ephesus, the cult persisted at least into the early 2nd century, with epigraphic evidence attesting to it's continued presence during the reign of Trajan. (Dreyer, B. "Heroes, Cults, and Divinity," in W. Heckel and L. Tritle, ed. Alexander the Great: A New History, p. 224-5) No doubt this token was in some way used in conjunction with the cult.
From the Dalzell Collection.
Following the death of Alexander, cults were established venerating the great king in both the Ptolemaic and Seleukid empires. Cults in many of the liberated Greek cities of Asia Minor were established by Alexander himself. In Ephesus, the cult persisted at least into the early 2nd century, with epigraphic evidence attesting to it's continued presence during the reign of Trajan. (Dreyer, B. "Heroes, Cults, and Divinity," in W. Heckel and L. Tritle, ed. Alexander the Great: A New History, p. 224-5) No doubt this token was in some way used in conjunction with the cult.