Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XX 29-30 Oct 2020
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Greco-Baktrian Kingdom, Agathokles AR Tetradrachm. Circa 185-180 BC. 'Pedigree' commemorative of Alexander III of Macedon. AΛEΞANΔPOY TOY ΦIΛIΠΠOY, head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress / Zeus Aëtophoros seated to left, holding sceptre; ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΟΝΤΟΣ ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ around, monogram to inner left. Bopearachchi 12B; Bopearachchi & Rahman 163 (same obv. die); SNG ANS -; MIG type 142 var. (unlisted monogram); Triton VIII, lot 633 (same obv. die); HGC 12, 83. 16.92g, 30mm, 12h.
Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; one of only 3 examples offered at auction in the past 20 years.
From the Oxus Collection (Denmark).
This stunning silver tetradrachm was issued as part of the 'pedigree' series, coins minted under Agathokles and his probable contemporary Pantaleon which commemorated preceding rulers. This tetradrachm celebrates the undefeated general and monarch of Macedon, Alexander the Great, whose coinage featured the same obverse and reverse imagery of Herakles and Zeus Aëtophoros. The obverses of the other 'pedigree' coins featured the predecessor's name and cult epithet, while their reverses were inscribed with the name and titles of the issuing ruler; interestingly, Alexander receives no cult title here and is instead named as "the son of Philip". The reverse of this type exhibits similarities with the tetradrachms of Pantaleon: coin types issued by the latter monarch, like Bopearachchi 1A, depict a seated Zeus holding a sceptre and a small statue of Hekate, while on this Agathokles specimen, the same deity holds an eagle. According to SNG, the greater number of issues and different types minted in the name of Agathokles, when compared to the coinage of Pantaleon, suggests that the former had the longer reign (ANS, 1998, p.230).
Such numismatic types proclaimed the legitimacy of these Bactrian rulers, by attempting to place (or shoehorn) them firmly into a line of succession that could be traced back to Alexander himself. This obverse iconography evoked an impression of the Euthydemid royal line, countering the competing claim of Eukratides, the usurper who revolted at around 171 BC. This coin can be fruitfully examined alongside later coins of Eukratides, who controlled the mint in a peripheral part of the kingdom, probably in the Bamian valley (M. Mitchiner, The early Indo-Greeks and their antecedants, vol. 1, 1975, p.66). Eukratides produced his own commemorative issues like lot 352, which shows the usurper as a monarch with his assumed title ΜΕΓΑΣ. Eukratides' right to rule is reinforced by what seems to be a representation of his own lineage on lot 352: the reverse depicts Heliocles and Laodice, identified as his parents in SNG, with his possible mother sporting the royal diadem (ANS, 1998, p.430). Since the fall of the Euthydemid dynasty lacks literary evidence, excepting the account of Eukratides' revolt by Justin (XLI, 6), numismatic sources like the commemorative issues of Agathokles and Eukratides prove to be of particular historical significance. This splendid Agathokles tetradrachm serves to shed light on the competing dynasties vying for power in the years before Eukratides secured control of the kingdom.
Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; one of only 3 examples offered at auction in the past 20 years.
From the Oxus Collection (Denmark).
This stunning silver tetradrachm was issued as part of the 'pedigree' series, coins minted under Agathokles and his probable contemporary Pantaleon which commemorated preceding rulers. This tetradrachm celebrates the undefeated general and monarch of Macedon, Alexander the Great, whose coinage featured the same obverse and reverse imagery of Herakles and Zeus Aëtophoros. The obverses of the other 'pedigree' coins featured the predecessor's name and cult epithet, while their reverses were inscribed with the name and titles of the issuing ruler; interestingly, Alexander receives no cult title here and is instead named as "the son of Philip". The reverse of this type exhibits similarities with the tetradrachms of Pantaleon: coin types issued by the latter monarch, like Bopearachchi 1A, depict a seated Zeus holding a sceptre and a small statue of Hekate, while on this Agathokles specimen, the same deity holds an eagle. According to SNG, the greater number of issues and different types minted in the name of Agathokles, when compared to the coinage of Pantaleon, suggests that the former had the longer reign (ANS, 1998, p.230).
Such numismatic types proclaimed the legitimacy of these Bactrian rulers, by attempting to place (or shoehorn) them firmly into a line of succession that could be traced back to Alexander himself. This obverse iconography evoked an impression of the Euthydemid royal line, countering the competing claim of Eukratides, the usurper who revolted at around 171 BC. This coin can be fruitfully examined alongside later coins of Eukratides, who controlled the mint in a peripheral part of the kingdom, probably in the Bamian valley (M. Mitchiner, The early Indo-Greeks and their antecedants, vol. 1, 1975, p.66). Eukratides produced his own commemorative issues like lot 352, which shows the usurper as a monarch with his assumed title ΜΕΓΑΣ. Eukratides' right to rule is reinforced by what seems to be a representation of his own lineage on lot 352: the reverse depicts Heliocles and Laodice, identified as his parents in SNG, with his possible mother sporting the royal diadem (ANS, 1998, p.430). Since the fall of the Euthydemid dynasty lacks literary evidence, excepting the account of Eukratides' revolt by Justin (XLI, 6), numismatic sources like the commemorative issues of Agathokles and Eukratides prove to be of particular historical significance. This splendid Agathokles tetradrachm serves to shed light on the competing dynasties vying for power in the years before Eukratides secured control of the kingdom.