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Ancient Greece, gold 'Olympic' medal, probably AD 242: CM.LK.4210-R

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Current Location: Gallery 21

Titles

Ancient Greece, gold 'Olympic' medal, probably AD 242

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

This medallion was bought by Colonel Leake during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) at Serres in northern Greece. He had been sent there to help the Turkish government organise the defence of Greece in case the French invaded. The style and subject of the medallion - the head of Athena and Alexander the Great on horseback hunting a lion - recall early Greek designs. But this example was probably struck in AD 242, to mark the 'Olympic' games celebrated in that year in Macedonia, in honour of Alexander the Great.

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (1864) by Leake, William Martin

Dating

Production date: circa AD 0242

Components of the work

Object composed of gold Diameter 36 mm Die Axis 0 degrees Weight 21.43 g

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: CM.LK.4210-R
Primary reference Number: 226382

Audit data

Created: Monday 28 January 2019 Updated: Wednesday 18 June 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Coins and Medals

Citation for print

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The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Ancient Greece, gold 'Olympic' medal, probably AD 242" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/226382 Accessed: 2025-12-06 02:22:00

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/226382 |title=Ancient Greece, gold 'Olympic' medal, probably AD 242 |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 02:22:00|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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