Antiochus I Soter Tetradrachm

After reading a post by @dougsmit in another thread, I feel compelled to create my first thread.

While primarily a medieval English collector, I do love the coins of Seleukos I Nikator. I decided to expand to the other Seleukid rulers and picked up the following coin at the most recent HJB Bid/Buy sale.


Antiochus I Soter AR Tetradrachm.
281-261 BC Seleucia on the Tigris
Obv: Diademed head of Antiochus I r. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow and resting w/ hand on grounded bow; monograms in outer l. and r. fields.

Antiochus I Soter was the eldest son of Seleukos I Nikator, the greatest of the Diadochi, and Apama of Sogdia, and Iranian noblewoman. He was born in 324/3 BC. At the age of 29/30 he married his stepmother with the blessing of his father. They would go on to have five children. Upon his father's murder in 281 BC, Antiochus inherited an empire that stretched from Macedon to India, and encompassed almost all of Alexander's old empire save Egypt and parts of Greece.

The task of holding together the empire of his father would prove too great for Antiochus. A revolt in Syria drew him East, and Macedon and Thrace were lost to his father's murderer, Ptolemy Keraunos. Philetaerus established defacto independence in Pergamon with Antiochus unable to halt the gradual loss, despite several attempts. The First Syrian War, fought over control out Coele-Syria with the Ptolemaic Kingdom, was largely a defeat for Antiochus. He also failed in attempts to conquer Cappadocia and Bithynia.

The one bright spot in his military career was a crushing victory over Gauls that had entered Anatolia at the behest of a king of Bithynia who was in the midst of a civil war with his brother. The roughly 20,000 Gauls were broken by the war elephants of Antiochus, and thereafter settled in the highlands of Anatolia. Over time the area became known as Galatia.

Antiochus I Soter died in 261 BC and was succeeded but his son Antiochus II Theos, under who's rule the Seleukid Empire would continue tip fragment and decline.

Please feel free to post your Seleukid coins.

 

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Very nice!

 

Nice coin and concise writeup!

 

Very well done!

I would love to collect all the rulers from the Seleucid empire. Maybe one day!

How about a smaller, bronze version of your coin?


Antiochos I Soter, Seleucid Kings of Syria; 281-261 BC
Æ, 16mm, 4.01 g; 3h; Antioch mint
Obv.: Diademed head right
Rev.: Apollo Delphios seated left; monograms to left and right

 

I chose this coin of Alexander Zebinas.

 

3 generations. I've only taken pictures of 1; the rest are CNG's.

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. 312-281 BC. AR Tetradrachm (25mm, 17.18 g, 9h). In the name of Alexander III of Macedon. Babylon I mint. Struck circa 311-300 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin / Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; monogram in wreath in left field, MI below throne. SC 82.5b; Price 3747; HGC 9, 10f. VF.


SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Antiochos I Soter. 281-261 BC. AR Tetradrachm (28mm, 16.74 g, 7h). Seleukeia on the Tigris mint. Diademed head right / Apollo Delphios seated left on omphalos, testing arrow, resting hand on bow; monograms to outer left and right. SC 379.6a; HGC 9, 128g. VF, toned, some porosity, scratches and marks.


SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Antiochos II Theos. 261-246 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.55 g, 10h). Antioch on the Orontes mint. Diademed head right / Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow and bow; monogram to outer left, ∆I to outer right. SC 571.1a; HGC 9, 238o. VF, find patina, light deposits, light scratches and marks, some roughness. A double strike and some deposits obscure the outer left monogram on the reverse.

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Antiochos II Theos. 261-246 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.55 g, 10h). Antioch on the Orontes mint. Diademed head right / Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow and bow; monogram to outer left, ∆I to outer right. SC 571.1a; HGC 9, 238o. VF, find patina, light deposits, light scratches and marks, some roughness. A double strike and some deposits obscure the outer left monogram on the reverse.

-Michael

 

Congrats Red, beautifull tet of Soter.

Talking about his father and the war elephants , this coin is probably relevant:

 

@Volodya are these from the same group you showed me 2 years ago?

I got this from HJB thru Phil


Syria - Antiochos Hierax Winged Diadem
SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Circa 242-227 BC. AR Tetradrachm (30mm, 16.42 g, 11h). Alexandreia Troas mint, Head of Antiochos I, rejuvenated and idealized, right, wearing a winged diadem / Apollo Delphios seated left on omphalos, testing arrow in his right hand, Horse grazing right and monogramin exergue. Bright surfaces, Rare

 

Awesome coin @TheRed! I still need Antiochos I. This is my most recent Seleukid tet

SELEUKID KINGS OF SYRIA. Antiochos II Theos, 261-246 BC. Tetradrachm (29 mm, 16.71 g, 12 h), Ephesos (?). Diademed head of Antiochos II to right. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ Apollo, nude, seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in right hand and leaning with left on bow; to left, monogram of ΠA.

 

EXCELLENT @TheRed !

I have his daddy...


Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AR Tet 14.46g Seleucia on Tigris. Zeus - Athena driving a quadriga of 4 horned elephants SC 130

And, to me, the greatest of the Diadochi...

Egypt Ptolemy I Soter Tet Delta bankers marks

 

Yep, same group.

 

I agree

 

I thought so. Thanks.

I have two that spent a couple thousand years in the ground with yours. One of them is the coin I posted.

You are, inadvertently, coin kin.

 

Dude looks like Trajan, love the reverse. Wonderful coin!

 

Well @Alegandron and @TIF there is only one way to settle this difference of opinion: with war elephants just like any self respecting Diadochi would do. I'm sure my local zoo won't miss a few of the smelly buggers.

 

That is fascinating and pretty wild given all the people that collect ancients, how often hoards get broken up, and the small number of people on this forum.

Do you have any background information, such as location of find?

 

No. Sadly not. Just that they were once a family and now they are not.

 

Nice OP coin and very nice first thread!

=> Frickin Awesome Coin Dude!

 

Reading your summary of his failures, I now understand why his portraits usually look so mournful! Yours is a very nice example, I like your Apollo too.



All of my Seleukids:

 

I like the Antiochus VII portrait. A real nice example of that type.