ALEXANDER THE GREAT'S COMMEMORATIVE COIN FOR HIS VICTORY AGAINST PORUS

In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great and his army reached India, where they encountered the army of the Hindu king Porus. At the River Hydaspes, Alexander managed to defeat his opponent in a closely fought battle across the monsoon-swollen river.That was his first victory against the Hindus, before the Mallian campaign where Alexander rose again victorious against Hindu tribes.

The “Porus Medallions” or “Franks Medallion” (named after the donor of the first example of the coin to the British Museum) was discovered in modern Afghanistan in the late 19th century. The obverse shows a cavalryman, identified as a Macedonian by his Phrygian-style helmet and characteristic long lance (or sarissa), charging at an elephant with two warriors mounted on its back. The reverse shows another Macedonian horseman, or possibly the same one, this time standing and being crowned by a winged Victory but still wearing his distinctive helmet. However, this Macedonian is carrying what could either be a sarissa or a royal sceptre in his left hand, and more importantly in his right hand he holds the thunderbolt of Zeus. The coin is obviously a reference to the Macedonian victory at the Hydaspes and it is just as clear that the Macedonian figure is  Alexander the Great himself, both through his wielding of the thunderbolt of his father Zeus and through the distinctive white plumage, which Plutarch tells us the king wore on either side of his helmet. 

The standing figure mounted on the elephant and brandishing a spear on the obverse has been identified as Porus because of the figure’s height. Porus is described in almost all primary sources as extremely tall, sometimes as over 2.1 metres, and the height of the figure on the elephant would certainly tally with those measurements. 

The depictions of Alexander and Porus on the medallions are interesting, but it is the dating of the coin that makes it truly fascinating. 

It is almost impossible to tell exactly when the coin was minted due to the lack of any kind of legend. However the coin has been approximately dated to the very end of Alexander’s lifetime, minted in Babylon either shortly before or shortly after his death in 323 BCE. These coins could be the last living depictions of the greatest leader the world has ever known.

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