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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GinoLR, post: 8144521, member: 128351&quot;][ATTACH=full]1420211[/ATTACH]</p><p>Seleucid Kingdom, Antiochos IV (175-160 BC). AE 33 mm, 39.09 g. Antioch (?), 169-168 BC</p><p>Obv.: Head of Zeus-Ammon right, wearing tainia</p><p>Rev.: Eagle with closed wings standing to right on thunderbolt; BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY to right, ΘEOY EΠIΦANOYΣ to left.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Hellenistic Mediterranean, in the 160s BC. In the Middle East, two big powers are at war against each other since more than 150 years: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom of Syria. But another superpower has now emerged: Rome, who had already defeated Carthage, the Kingdom of Macedon and the Seleucid Kingdom.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, had been an hostage in Rome when he was a young prince, and had made friends with many Romans of the ruling class. Now he has become king, while his Roman friends have become magistrates or senators. Like every other Seleucid king before him, he was at war against Ptolemaic Egypt and in the year 168 he seized THE opportunity of a decisive victory: Egypt was weakened, so he launched a victorious offensive, seized Palestine, then the Nile Delta, Alexandria was defenceless. He declared the annexation of Egypt and started minting large and heavy Egyptian-style bronze coins with his own name. Coins like this one : thick flan, bevelled edge, central hole, Zeus Ammon on obverse and eagle on reverse.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rome was allied with Egypt but could not do anything, for the Roman army was at this very moment engaged in Greece against the Kingdom of Macedon. Antiochus had manoeuvred well... He was with all his army preparing to enter Alexandria, the ambassadors of the Greek cities were already congratulating him, when a ship landed, carrying a Roman ambassador, Gaius Popilius Laenas. Antiochus recognized him (he probably knew him from his years in Rome) and wanted to greet him, but the Roman refused to shake hands and gave him a tablet, saying: Read this now and give me your reply. Antiochus read the tablet and said : I need to discuss this with my advisors. No, the Roman said, you must reply right now, else your reply will be considered negative. Then, in front of his own troops and all the Greek ambassadors, Antiochus replied : I&#039;ll comply. And Gaius Popilius Laenas greeted him warmly, like an old friend...</p><p><br /></p><p>The tablet was an order from the Roman Senate commanding Antiochus to immediately withdraw his troops from Egypt. The Ptolemaic kingdom was saved, Antiochus had been publicly humiliated, and Rome didn&#039;t have to send legions, a single envoy had been enough. That&#039;s what I call a superpower, the World cop.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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