Hercules Erythrai Drachma - Short History

A silver drachma coin minted at 320-280 BC.

On the front side of the coin, Hercules is depicted wearing a lion's skin, in the same representation as the one of the Lysimachos tetradrachm.

On the back side of the coin, a club and a bowcase are depicted, and between them there is the inscription: "DIOPEITHES", the name of an Athenian general. Above the club, there is the inscription: "ERY", meaning belonging to Erythrai.

Erythrai was an ancient colony in Asia minor, opposite to Chios island.

As the city of Erythrai in 334 BC regained its freedom through Alexander the Great, the coins minted in Erythrai had the same depiction of Hercules in lion skin that is found in the famous Lysimachos and Alexander coins, with the difference that in the Alexander coins, it is Alexander himself that is depicted as Hercules.