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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;David@PCC, post: 3345449, member: 80556&quot;][USER=96635]@Pavlos[/USER] &amp; [USER=87080]@TheRed[/USER] wanted to see my newest from <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/very-rare-seleukid-mint-cyrrhus-in-cyrrhestica.331194/#post-3315910" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/very-rare-seleukid-mint-cyrrhus-in-cyrrhestica.331194/#post-3315910">this thread</a>, so here it is. </p><p>The Indian civilization was well used to elephants in battle but that was a new concept to the Greeks until Alexander the Great had to engage these intimidating beast on his conquest eastward. Seleucus was an early adopter of using elephants in war which very may well secured his position of ruler of Syria and beyond. Seleucus knew well battle elephants during his campaigns with Alexander at the Hydaspes. After securing his own portion of Alexander&#039;s empire he tried to extend farther east but was not successful against Chandragupta Maurya and signed a treaty with him. As part of this treaty Strabo describes how Seleucus received 500 trained elephants which began his elephant corps. </p><p><br /></p><p>It wasn&#039;t long before he deployed these new terrifying beasts against Antigonus at the battle of Ipsus.</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]OS1e9ZC1S88[/MEDIA]</p><p><br /></p><p>It is evident his elephants played a crucial role in the victory at Ipsus and further cemented his kingdom among the Diadochus. After the battle Seleucus renamed and made Apamea (named after his wife) the center of the Seleucid military. Elephants had groupings anywhere from 2 to 64 as a formation and had towers (howdahs) on their backs.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]886003[/ATTACH] </p><p>They were heavily armored and had spear throwers and archers atop the animals. These war elephants proved invaluable against the Gauls after which Antiochus I was given the title Soter (savior). Seeing the success the Seleucid war elephants were having, Ptolemy IV started his own elephant corps. When the two met in battle at Raphia Seleucid&#039;s larger and more aggressive Indian elephants easily defeated Ptolemy&#039;s African elephants, however the battle was still lost. </p><p><br /></p><p>Although successful frequently on the battlefield, using elephants had some major setbacks. Each elephant required an additional 40 troops to guard them. Daily each elephant required as much as 250 pounds of food and were difficult to breed in captivity. Further if the animal spooked, it would rear up and often turn and trample it&#039;s own soldiers. All in all the Seleucid war elephant only saw about 150 years of use on the battle field. I&#039;ve read sources that claimed to have given the elephants wine before battle to make them even more aggressive. I can only imagine the site of an angry drunk elephant charging at you with armor and spear throwers atop must have been like. Certainly if a army never encountered such beasts, they would have been terrified and fled. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the coin</p><p>[ATTACH=full]886004[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]886005[/ATTACH]</p><p>Seleucus I Nicator</p><p>Apamea on the Axios</p><p>300 to 281 BC</p><p>Obvs: Elephant right, dotted border.</p><p>Revs: BAΣIΛIEΩΣ ΣEΛEYKOY, bridled &amp; horned horse head left. Horizontal anchor below.</p><p>AE 19x20mm, 8.57g</p><p>SC 35; HGC 10, 79(R1) </p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is also thicker than I imagined it would be</p><p>[ATTACH=full]886006[/ATTACH] </p><p>Numismatic note: Apamea was part of the Syrian tetrapolis formed by Seleucus as the starting point of military campaigns. This mint was only in use by Seleucus I for a couple of decades and no other coins were minted there for another 60 years until the reign of Antiochus III. </p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is all business, from a military stand point that is. The obverse shows prominently the Indian elephant that made up the core of Seleucus&#039;s elephant corps. The reverse has two additional Seleucid military symbols, the horned horse and anchor (from his time as a naval commander). </p><p><br /></p><p>This coin is ex D. Alighieri Collection. I have no proof but surmise that pseudonym is actually from the collection of Cornelius Vermeule, former curator of the Boston museum of fine arts.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please share your coins depicting elephants, war symbology, or anything related.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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