Philip II of Macedonia Gold Stater - Short History

The original coin, exhibited in the Numismatic Museum of Athens-Greece, is a gold stater, minted at about 350 BC by Philip II, king of Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great.

The coin depicts god Apollo on one side, and Philip II, riding a synoris (two-horse chariot) and winning an Olympic chariot race.

By introducing bimettalism (gold and silver coins), Philip initiated a new period in the economy of the ancient Greek world.

For his silver coins, he retained the Thraco-Macedonian weight standard, while in the gold pieces, he followed the Attic-Euboean standards.