Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions This page intentionally left blank 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 This page intentionally left blank 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