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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Only a Poor Old Man, post: 7552713, member: 111037&quot;]I am particularly happy that I was able to acquire a Hellenistic tet in a very acceptable condition and for a price that was quite sensible. When it comes to coins that have good proportions, imaginable depictions, and excellent portraits, I don&#039;t think that anyone can go wrong with the coinage of Alexander&#039;s Hellenistic successors. Mind you this one is quite a late example and was minted during a period where the Seleukid Kingdom was just a shadow of its former self, nevertheless as a coin it has all the above characteristics that make these tets really desirable.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1302902[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>This is a tetradrachm of Antiochos VIII, more commonly known as &#039;Grypus&#039; (from the Greek word for hook-nosed). I have the feeling that this wasn&#039;t a nickname of his own choosing. After all the legends on the coin describe him as &#039;επιφανης&#039; (eminent). There were other Seleukid kings that carried that epithet, but they were actually worthy of it. Antiochos VIII, not so much... He was the son of Demetrios II and Cleopatra Thea and he ruled for quite a long time considering the state of the kingdom during his reign. There was a lot of political turmoil and for a good chunk of his reign he spent it fighting with his half-brother (another Antiochos of course - IX this time). This is probably why you don&#039;t get many diadochoi-related questions on popular TV shows nowadays - &quot;Name a Seleukid King&quot; it doesn&#039;t get easier than that! </p><p><br /></p><p>It would be safe to assume that he wasn&#039;t a nice chap. He started his career at the top by being a co-ruler with his mother. As it often happens in those cases, one will assassinate the other and this time the son was victorious. Rumours say that there was poisoning involved, and that it was his mother that tried to off him first, but he forced her to drink the dodgy wine instead. Apparently Antiochos had quite an interest in toxicology and he even wrote poems about poisons. Such shortcomings can be forgiven though if you know how to throw a party, and our guy had quite a reputation. He even invented the doggy-bag as he would send off his drunken guests on a camel loaded with left-over food and booze. But that was no reason for a scandal, as a little display of decadence meant that the King was doing rather well for himself - thus he must be efficient. I don&#039;t think that works as much for modern political audiences though. He was finally assassinated in 96BC. </p><p><br /></p><p>If I was forced to choose only one area of Greek coinage to collect, I would go for Hellenistic coinage. I just love those bulky portraits. And you can still find affordable specimens which is definitely a bonus! Show me your examples or anything else you think is relevant.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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