Lysimachos in Tomis

How can a king establish his place on the throne? How can a leader assert dominance? These questions are almost as old as mankind itself, its leaders frantically searching for the right answer since time immemorial. For the diadochi of Alexander the Great, the situation was not different from many others before and after them—and Lysimachos is no exception. This is exactly the reason I find the coin presented this month (the new year now in full swing) so interesting: One can witness the struggle of an ambitious ruler to link his name to the legacy of another and to capitalize on his victories, while the gold gives it an air of luxury.