Philippeioi

The obverse of a gold philippeios, with (short-haired) Apollo.

A Gaulish stater imitating the philippeios' design

Philippeioi (Greek: Φιλίππειοι, Philíppeioi), later called Alexanders (Ἀλέξανδροι, Aléxandroi),^[1] were the gold coins used in the ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedonia. First issued at some point between 355 and 347 BC,^[2] the coins featured a portrait of the Greek deity Apollo on the obverse, and on the reverse, an illustration of a biga, a Greek chariot drawn by two horses.^[3] They had the value of one gold stater each.^[2] In the first issuing, Apollo was depicted with long hair, but after that the design was altered permanently to one in which Apollo's hair was shorter.^[4]

The coins were intended primarily for large purchases outside of Macedonia.^[3] As a result, they spread quickly, first to the Balkans and continental Greece,^[2] and eventually throughout the Western world of the time; stashes of philippeioi have been uncovered in Italy, Constantinople, Southern Russia, Cyprus, Syria, and Egypt. The vast majority of these were actually struck by Philip's successor, Alexander the Great.^[2] The philippeioi issued by Alexander after Philip's death continued to use that name officially, though they were often called "alexanders" by Alexander's supporters.^[1]