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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Shea19, post: 5222489, member: 90981&quot;]I recently added this large bronze of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the notorious Seleucid king.&nbsp; I thought it would be a good time to share this coin, because Antiochus IV is the villain of the story of Hanukkah, which started last night.&nbsp; Hanukkah celebrates the Jewish victory over the forces of Antiochus IV, and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is from Antiochus IV&#039;s &quot;Egyptianizing&quot; series, and I&#039;ve been wanting to get a nice example from this series for a long time.&nbsp; Coins from this series resemble large Ptolemaic bronzes, and were struck during the time of Antiochus IV&#039;s successful campaigns and occupation of Egypt.&nbsp; The description from the auction house says that this was struck to honor Antiochus IV&#039;s victories in Egypt, but as far as I know, there&#039;s no consensus for the exact reason behind this series. This coin is quite large (33 mm and 34 g), but even larger denominations were struck as part of this series.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1216252[/ATTACH] </p><p>Seleucid Kings of Syria, Antiochos IV Epiphanes, AE Hemidrachm (33 mm, 34.37 g), &quot;Egyptianizing&quot; series, with bevelled edges, struck in honor of Antiochos IV&#039;s victories over Egypt, Antioch, 169-168 BC. Laureate head of Zeus-Serapis to right; with Osiris cap upon taenia. <i>Rev.</i> ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΣ Eagle standing right on thunderbolt.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In approximately 168 BC, after returning from war in Egypt, Antiochus IV started a campaign of persecution against the Jewish people of Judea. He orchestrated a massacre of thousands of Jews in Jerusalem, and imposed strict laws outlawing all traditional Jewish religious practices.&nbsp; The Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted, a large altar of Zeus was installed in the temple, and all Jewish services and customs were banned.</p><p><br /></p><p>This led to a revolt against Antiochus IV, and a Jewish army in Judea engaged in guerilla warfare against the Seleucids over the next several years.&nbsp; The most famous leader of the rebel army was known as Judah Maccabee, and his nickname is thought to come from the Aramaic word &quot;<i>maqqaba</i>&quot;, which means &quot;hammer.&quot;&nbsp; Led by Judah the Hammer, the Maccabee army defeated the Seleucid forces and took back the Second Temple.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Judah held a huge festival to celebrate the reclamation and rededication of the temple. According to the religious story (which obviously is not historical), there was only a small amount of available oil to light the menorah for this celebration, but the candles &quot;miraculously&quot; ended up staying lit for 8 nights.&nbsp; The holiday of Hanukkah has since been celebrated each year in the Jewish religion to commemorate the victory over Antiochus IV and the Jewish rededication of the Second Temple.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I lit my menorah with my family tonight, I thought it was pretty cool to know that&nbsp; 2,000 years after he tried but failed to outlaw the Jewish religion, this coin of Antiochus IV now sits in the home of a Jewish family on the other side of the world 2,000 years later.</p><p><br /></p><p>Wishing a very Happy Hanukkah to all of those who celebrate!&nbsp; <b>Please share your coins of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, <b>any Hanukkah-related coins, </b>your favorite Seleucid coins, or anything else relevant.&nbsp; </b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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