When the Seleucid king Antiochus IV believed he could annex Ptolemaic Egypt

Seleucid Kingdom, Antiochos IV (175-160 BC). AE 33 mm, 39.09 g. Antioch (?), 169-168 BC
Obv.: Head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing tainia
Rev.: Eagle with closed wings standing to right on thunderbolt; BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY to right, ΘEOY EΠIΦANOYΣ to left.

The Hellenistic Mediterranean, in the 160s BC. In the Middle East, two big powers are at war against each other since more than 150 years: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom of Syria. But another superpower has now emerged: Rome, who had already defeated Carthage, the Kingdom of Macedon and the Seleucid Kingdom.

The Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, had been an hostage in Rome when he was a young prince, and had made friends with many Romans of the ruling class. Now he has become king, while his Roman friends have become magistrates or senators. Like every other Seleucid king before him, he was at war against Ptolemaic Egypt and in the year 168 he seized THE opportunity of a decisive victory: Egypt was weakened, so he launched a victorious offensive, seized Palestine, then the Nile Delta, Alexandria was defenceless. He declared the annexation of Egypt and started minting large and heavy Egyptian-style bronze coins with his own name. Coins like this one : thick flan, bevelled edge, central hole, Zeus Ammon on obverse and eagle on reverse.

Rome was allied with Egypt but could not do anything, for the Roman army was at this very moment engaged in Greece against the Kingdom of Macedon. Antiochus had manoeuvred well... He was with all his army preparing to enter Alexandria, the ambassadors of the Greek cities were already congratulating him, when a ship landed, carrying a Roman ambassador, Gaius Popilius Laenas. Antiochus recognized him (he probably knew him from his years in Rome) and wanted to greet him, but the Roman refused to shake hands and gave him a tablet, saying: Read this now and give me your reply. Antiochus read the tablet and said : I need to discuss this with my advisors. No, the Roman said, you must reply right now, else your reply will be considered negative. Then, in front of his own troops and all the Greek ambassadors, Antiochus replied : I'll comply. And Gaius Popilius Laenas greeted him warmly, like an old friend...

The tablet was an order from the Roman Senate commanding Antiochus to immediately withdraw his troops from Egypt. The Ptolemaic kingdom was saved, Antiochus had been publicly humiliated, and Rome didn't have to send legions, a single envoy had been enough. That's what I call a superpower, the World cop.

 

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Ptolemy VI, Ptolemaic Kingdom
AR didrachm
Obv: Diademed head of Ptolemy I right, wearing aegis
Rev: ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt
Mint: (Unknown mint in Coele Syria)
Date: 162-161 BC
Ref: Svoronos 1209

 

A bit before the 160's but....

Ptolemy Philopator, (Lover of his Father)

PTOLEMAIC EMPIRE

EGYPT. ALEXANDRIA.

Ptolemy IV 221-205 BC AE Drachma. (75.52g, 41mm, 12h)

Obverse: Bust of Zeus Ammon right

Reverse: ΠΤΟΛΕΜΑΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ, Eagle standing left on thunderbolt, cornucopiae in front, ΛΙ between legs

Reference: SNG Cop 199.

 

Informative write-up and an interesting series of coins. I like that story about the lone ambassador stopping a war - superpower indeed!

As for the coins, The Ptolemaic Bronze website calls them Post-Conquest Egyptianized Series. I have two of them from the four available in this series:


Seleucid Kingdom Æ 32
Antiochos IV Epiphanes
Post-Conquest Egyptianized Series.
Antioch Mint
(169-168 B.C.)
Laureate head of Zeus-Serapis rt. / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY ΘEOY EΠIΦANOYΣ, eagle standing right on thunderbolt.
SC 1412; Svoronos 1416.
(35.62 grams / 32 mm)
eBay Mar. 2019

Seleucid Kingdom Æ 27
Antiochos IV Epiphanes
Post-Conquest Egyptianized Series.
Antioch Mint
(169-168 B.C.)
Head of Isis right with taenia & Isis headdress / BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY ΘEOY EΠIΦANOYΣ, eagle standing rt. on thunderbolt
SC 1414; SNG 981; Sv. 1417.
(14.15 grams / 27 mm)
eBay Apr. 2018

Here is the Ptolemaic Bronze site on these:

"Antiochos IV - Post-Conquest Egyptianized Series of Antioch
This denomination series consists of four coins with single eagle reverse and no control letters in the eagle's legs, with the eagle facing right and the reignal name of Antiochos Theos Epiphanes. The time period follows the departure from Egypt by Antiochos IV in about 168BC following his brief conquest and reign with Ptolemy VI at Memphis. These coins are listed in Svoronos but they are Seleukid coins issued by Antiochos IV at Antioch following the failure to consolidate the Egyptian conquest. Some believe the coins' issue may have preceded the invasion of Egypt. The Zeus figure on the largest type is not the usual Egyptian Zeus Ammon of large 3rd C. BC bronzes, rather Zeus laureate. The second size has (Zeus) Serapis with a laurel wreath and Isis headdress ornament at the top of the head. That type is not known on any Egyptian issue. The Isis portrait type is closest to a contemporary Egyptian design. The smallest coin has a traditionally Seleukid idealized radiate portrait seen on many other bronze issues of Antiochos IV. The other unusual feature on all of these is that the single closed-wing standing eagle faces right rather than the almost ubiquitously left-facing corresponding type on actual Ptolemaic bronzes."
http://ptolemybronze.com/ptolemy_series.html

 

Nice new pickup @GinoLR! This type is one of my favorites...pictures never really do justice to just how big these coins really are. I upgraded my example about a year ago, but couldn’t bring myself to sell my other one.


Seleucid Kings of Syria, Antiochos IV Epiphanes, AE Hemidrachm (33 mm, 34.37 g), "Egyptianizing" series, with bevelled edges, struck in honor of Antiochos IV's victories over Egypt, Antioch, 169-168 BC. Laureate head of Zeus-Serapis to right; with Osiris cap upon taenia. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΣ Eagle standing right on thunderbolt.

My other example of the type:

 

On the way back to Antioch, the poor Antiochus had an emergency: find money, huge amounts of money, to pay his soldiers who were all mercenaries. Obviously he had intended to plunder Alexandria and pay his men with the booty, but he had to change his plans... The only solution was a hold-up, and in this period the banks were temples. There was a famous temple not far from his way of retreat: the Temple of Jerusalem! So, he made a detour and emptied the holy place... The 1st Book of the Maccabées tells the story:
20 And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude,
21 And entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof,
22 And the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials. and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crown, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off.
23 He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also he took the hidden treasures which he found.
24 And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly.
Bad idea... Soon after the Jews will revolt against him and create an independent kingdom of their own, the first Jewish state in history. And they will send ambassadors to Rome, asking for an alliance treaty between Rome and the Jewish Kingdom, which they obtained, so their security would be guaranteed against a Seleucid come-back...

 

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Antiochos IV Epiphanes. 175-164 BC. Æ (33mm; 39.69 gm; 12h). Antioch mint. Struck 169-168 BC. Obv: Laureate head of Zeus right wearing tainia with Osiris cap at tip. Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY ΘEOY EΠIΦANOYΣ, Eagle standing right on thunderbolt. SC 1412; SMA 58; Houghton 117; Houghton II 331; SNG Spaer 978. Obverse flan flaw.

 

What a beautiful coin! It is much better than my example (see top coin below). But it's SC_1413. SC_1412 is a larger/heavier type (40+mm. & 60+gr.) I've noticed many misattributions between the two very similarly designed coin types.

Below is my set of this series. I still lack the SC_1412. :-(


SC 1413. Zeus. 34 mm. 38.9 gr.



SC 1414. Isis. 28 mm. 17.5 gr.



SC 1415. Antiochus IV. 22 mm. 9.0 gr.

 

Good eye! Thank you!