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Athena and Deified Alexander
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The deified Alexander the Great is depicted on the obverse of this coin of Lysimachos, dating to the early third century BC.
In the years following his death Alexander the Great came to be the subject of cult worship throughout the Mediterranean basin. His corpse was appropriated by Ptolemy I who transported it to Egypt, initially interring it at Memphis, then to a mausoleum and center of worship in Alexandria. It survived until the 4th century AD when Theodosius banned paganism, only to disappear without trace.
Athena depicted on the reverse of this coin was the patron goddess of Athens. She came to be worshiped throughout much of the Mediterranean basin during Hellenistic period.
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