Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you know this is my first post ever on CT, and I would like to share some of the varieties of Seleucid Tetradrachms that I have recently studied. Please enjoy this post and let me know if any information is wrong or if you have any questions. Antiochos and Apollo: Antiochos I Soter spent his first 10 years of his reign as joint-ruler with his father Seleukos I Nikator. After his father died, he reigned from 281-261 BC. He also married Demitrios Poliorketes’ daughter Stratonice. On the assassination of his father, keeping together the huge empire he had built proved to be a challenging task. The Goths, seeing a weakness in the Seleucid empire, attempted to invade Anatolia. Antiochos stepped in with the famous Seleucid war elephants acquired by his father. Thankfully, with the destruction of the invaders, Antiochos bore the title of Soter or “Savior”. During his reign, Antiochos struck four Tetradrachm varieties. The majority of coins struck featured the middle aged portrait of Antiochos and Apollo on the reverse. There are not any uniquely rare coins struck but prices for Tetradrachms struck tend to be on the higher side. I will not go into further detail since Antiochos was a relatively boring figure in his later years, but his beautiful Tetradrachms seem to preserve his legacy well. ... With this type being the most famous and most abundant coin from Antiochos’ reign, there are a lot of unique features that come with this coin. These coins started being struck in 281 BC, but it is possible that the design could have been planned before the death of Nikator. Since Antiochos was in his late 30s when Nikator died, the obverse portrait of this design features an accurate representation. For much of his reign, the portrait of Antiochos on the obverse of his coins were realistic and portrayed what he looked like each year. When branch mints began minting his coins, a more artistical representation replaced the obverse portrait. He was later represented as a youthful ruler, where he looked more divine than human. The reverses are also quite unique. It shows the god Apollo presenting his famous symbol: the bow and arrow. He is also seated on an omphalos. An omphalos (meaning navel in Greek) is an oval stone that represents the center of the earth in Greek mythology. This design has a few major types for the obverse and the reverse. It can get confusing, since sometimes these types tend to overlap (ex. A type A obverse and type B reverse). Variety Types/Pairings Type A obverse shows the middle aged head of Antiochos. Type A reverse shows Apollo holding three arrows in his right hand and a bow in his left hand. Type B obverse shows the younger, deified head of Antiochos. Type B reverse shows Apollo holding the bow in his right hand while his left hand is rested on the omphalos. Type C obverse shows the horned and diademed portrait of Seleukos I Nikator. Type C reverse shows Apollo holding one arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left hand. Note: Type C obverse will almost always pair with Type B reverse. Here are some of the coins: (courtesy of CNG) Antiochos I Soter Type B obverse; Type A reverse Diademed head of Antiochos I right Apollo seated left on omphalos, examining 3 arrows and resting left hand on bow behind him (281-261 BC) Antiochos I Soter Type A obverse; Type C reverse Diademed head of Antiochos I right Apollo seated left on omphalos, examining arrow and resting left hand on bow behind him (281-261 BC) Antiochos I Soter Type C obverse; Type B reverse Diademed head of Seleukos I right Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow and testing bow (281-261 BC) --- These were very fun to study and learn about. I just love the history behind these Tetradrachms, especially this variety.
Interesting write up. I suspect that a large number of his Tetradrachms were struck either while he was co-ruler with his father or while he was co-ruler with his son, Antiochus II. My only Tetradrachm that is attributed during his lifetime, I have 3 others that have his portrait but were struck by his son. Antiochus I Soter Tetradrachm SC 379.3c; HGC 9 16.73 g
Without a doubt the Seleucids are my favorite of the successor kingdoms. Antiochus I and II are underrated as Kings in my opinion as well. Here is a rare Tetradrachm struck by Antiochus II, but depicting his father Antiochus I.
Interesting monogram on the reverse. Beautiful example. I wish I could get one for myself. It would be my treasure. lol
Thanks man! Yeah that's a rather rare piece from Phocaea minted during Antiochus II's war with Ptolemy II. See https://www.cointalk.com/threads/antiochus-ii-theos-tetradrachm-redux.357195/#post-4283901
