Art Institute of Chicago

Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Hero Herakles with the Features of Alexander the Great

Greek, minted in Amphipolis, Macedonia

Date: 336-323 BCE
Medium: Silver
Culture: Amfípolis
Department: Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago

Herakles was the consummate hero. Temples across Greece and South Italy were dedicated to him, the son of Zeus, and Romans, who knew him as Hercules, celebrated him as a role model. With brute force, determination, and just enough cleverness, Herakles completed his famous Twelve Labors to become immortal. Herakles is readily identifiable by his knobby club and lion’s skin. The latter refers to his First Labor, in which he killed a magical beast who was ravaging the town of Nemea. The lion’s invincible hide made him immune to weapons, so Herakles strangled him and took his pelt. When Alexander the Great (r. 336–323 BC) became king, he issued coins that were purposely similar to popular coins picturing Herakles. Claiming that the god was his ancestor, Alexander portrayed himself as the hero wearing the lion’s skin as a helmet.

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Object type: AAT300037334