Mint of Alexandria

c. 331 BC/BCE to 646 CE

Alexandria is the third-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and Giza, the seventh-largest city in Africa, and a major economic centre. Alexandria was founded in c. 331 BC by Alexander the Great in the vicinity of an Egyptian settlement named Rhacotis (that became the Egyptian quarter of the city). The first coins struck in Alexandria date from the time of its foundation. For three hundred years the city mint will issue numerious series on behalf of the different monarchs of the Ptolemaic dynasty following the Greek trimetallic system with the usual denominations of its metrological system: drachm, tetradrachm, obol, etc. The coinage continued in Roman times, conserving the Greek metrological system although with silver denominations increasingly poor in silver content to the point that late tetradrachms barely included precious metal in its composition. Finally Diocletian ends this anomalous situation, incorporating Egypt into the imperial monetary system. As is natural, the veteran mint of Alexandria was the chosen one to struck the new imperial coinage of the diocese of Egypt.

Subject ID: 127548

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c. 331 BC/BCE to 646 CE

Alexandria is the third-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and Giza, the seventh-largest city in Africa, and a major economic centre. Alexandria was founded in c. 331 BC by Alexander the Great in the vicinity of an Egyptian settlement named Rhacotis (that became the Egyptian quarter of the city). The first coins struck in Alexandria date from the time of its foundation. For three hundred years the city mint will issue numerious series on behalf of the different monarchs of the Ptolemaic dynasty following the Greek trimetallic system with the usual denominations of its metrological system: drachm, tetradrachm, obol, etc. The coinage continued in Roman times, conserving the Greek metrological system although with silver denominations increasingly poor in silver content to the point that late tetradrachms barely included precious metal in its composition. Finally Diocletian ends this anomalous situation, incorporating Egypt into the imperial monetary system. As is natural, the veteran mint of Alexandria was the chosen one to struck the new imperial coinage of the diocese of Egypt.

During the first Tetrarchy the Alexandria mint has four operative workshops that will be increased to a maximum of eight in the period 312-315. Nevertheless in this last date the mint will see its offices reduced to only two, number that will stay until 335 in which it returns to rise to four, lowering to three in 363 on the occasion of the monetary reform of Julian the Apostate. Emperor Valens adds another workshop to the Alexandrian mint. The four workshops will continue coining until the reign of Arcadius (383-408) when they are reduced by half. A first closure of the mint dates from the end of the reign of Emperor Leo I (AD 473-474). Open again in the year 525, reigning Justinian I in Constantinople, their coinage would continue until its final closure in 646, date of the third and last capture of Alexandria by the Arabs.

Subject ID: 127548

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