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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Pavlos, post: 5145845, member: 96635&quot;]What a gorgeous tetradrachm! Seleukeia must have been very proud to be granted autonomy by Antiochos VIII Epiphanes and to issue it&#039;s own type afterwards.</p><p><br /></p><p>Regarding rarity, it is indeed a date not often seen but it is not that unusual to stumble upon a very rare or even an unpublished date in the autonomous tetradrachms of the tetrapolis. Most issues of this type are from year 13 (97/96 BC). Also autonomous drachms and hemidrachms from the city are only known struck in year 13, and a bronze coin type as well.</p><p>I do not know why exactly, but it could be because in 96 BC Antiochos VIII Epiphanes was assassinated, his brother Antiochos IX toke power in Antioch and in 96 BC Seleukos VI Nikator attacked Antioch and captured the city by killing his uncle Antiochos IX. Perhaps either by a king or the city itself temporary more funds were needed in that period. In year 18, 92/91 BC there was probably not so much demand, hence making the date &#039;very rare&#039; and looking at your coin it seems it barely circulated.</p><p><br /></p><p>The autonomy kind of started under the reign of Alexander I Balas. After more than 130 years since Seleukos I Nikator, Seleukeia again started to struck municipal coins again. This is one of the first autonomous coins from the city, afterwards the city kept making municipal coinage, already granting the &#039;Holy&#039; title (&#039;ΤΗΣ ΙΕΡΑΣ&#039; on your coin) in 145 BC and autonomy in 109 BC.</p><p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TfWczmg.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><b>Syria, Seleukis and Pieria. Adelphoi Demi (Tetrapolis). AE Double Unit Dated 149/48 B.C. Under the reign of Alexander I Balas (152/1 - 145 B.C.)</b></p><p><b><b>Obverse:</b> </b>Laureate head of Zeus right<b>.</b></p><p><b><b>Reverse:</b> </b>‘ΑΔΕΛΦΩΝ’ above, ‘ΔΗΜΩΝ’ below (“of the Brother Peoples”). Winged thunderbolt; monogram to left, EΞP (date) and monogram to right; all within wreath.</p><p><b>Reference:</b> SNG Copenhagen 397; BMC 7; HGC 9, 1396.</p><p>6.91g; 21mm</p><p><br /></p><p>Bronze coins in the name of “the Brother Peoples” were struck in Seleukeia between 149/8 and 147/6 BC. This coinage probably reflected some form of civic alliance (homonoia) with Antioch on the Orontes. Four types of these coins were struck in three denominations: the quadruple unit, two types of the double unit and the single unit.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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