- 1. Head in marble of Young Alexander, found on the Akropolis, Athens. ca. 338 – 330 BC. (Akropolis Museum, Athens)
- 2. Alexander Mosaic from Pompeii, Naples. 1st century BC copy of a painting from the end of the 4th century BC, probably located in Macedon. (Naples Archaeological Museum).
- 3. “Schwarzenberg” Alexander. Reportedly from Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. Roman marble copy of a late 4th century original.
- 4a. “Azara” Alexander. From Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. Roman marble copy of a late 4th century original. (Louvre, Paris). Inscribed: “Alexander son of Philip, Macedonian”
- 4b. “Azara” Alexander. From Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. Roman marble copy of a late 4th century original. (Louvre, Paris). Inscribed: “Alexander son of Philip, Macedonian”
- 5. Silver tetradrachm minted by Philip II of Macedon. obverse: Zeus. ca. 340 BC.
- 6. Tetradrachm minted by Alexander the Great, featuring head of Herakles on the obverse, ca. 336-326 BC
- 7. “Fouquet” Alexander; Hellenistic/Roman bronze statuette from Lower Egypt, copy of an original of ca. 330 BC. (Louvre, Paris)
- 8. “Nelidow” Alexander; Hellenistic/Roman bronze statuette allegedly from Macedonia, copy of an original of ca. 330 BC. (Harvard)
- 9. Alexander “Keraunophoros”, carnelian gemstone inscribed “Of Neisos”. (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg)
- 10. silver decadrachm, minted ca. 324, featuring Alexander the Great on obverse and reverse
- 11. Silver tetradrachm minted by Lysimachus of Thrace. Obverse: Alexander with horns of Ammon
- 12. Silver tetradrachm minted by Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt. Obverse: Head of Alexander
- 13. Head of Alexander from Alexandria. marble. ca. 250 BC. (British Museum, London)
- 14. Head of Alexander from Pergamon. marble. ca. 175-150 BC. (Istanbul Archaeological Museum)
- 15. Alexander form Magnesia (in modern Turkey). marble. ca. 175-150 BC. (Istanbul Archaeological Museum)
Above are several different known portraits of Alexander the Great. Pay attention to the dates – some of these portraits reflect/copy (we think) portraits made of Alexander during his lifetime; others are made after his death. I’ve also stuck a couple of images of deities in there for comparison. Having read the ancient sources and some of the discussions about Alexander’s appearance and character, consider the following questions: What elements go into portraits of Alexander, and how is this reflected in the images you see above? What are some of the similarities/differences/inconsistencies between these various portraits? Why do these portraits look the way they do? Do they have any bearing on reality? Can we know what Alexander “really looked like”? Is this even a relevant question to ask?