Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 134 21 Nov 2022
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Greek Coins. Seleucid kings, Antiochus I Soter sole reign, 281 – 261.
Tetradrachm, Smyrna circa 281-261, AR 17.12 g. Diademed head of Antiochus I r. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ – ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ Apollo seated l. on omphalos, holding three arrows in his r. hand and resting his l. on a bow leaning against the omphalos behind him; in r. field, ΘΕ in monogram and in exergue, ΑΤΡ in monogram. SC 311.2. WSM 1494.
In an exceptional state of preservation and possibly one of the finest tetradrachms of
Antiochus I. A portrait of great beauty in the finest Hellenistic style struck on
fresh metal and with a lovely light iridescent tone. Good extremely fine
Ex Nomos 1, 2009, 120 and Roma Numismatics 7, 2014, 818 sales. From the collection of an aesthete.
In 281 BC, just as Seleucus I Nicator was about to crown his conquest of the East and Asia Minor with the addition of Macedonia to his vast realm, he was struck down by an assassin. The first Seleucid king was immediately succeeded by his son, Antiochus I, who had been sharing power with his father since about 294 BC. The task of holding together the empire was a daunting task, particularly in the west, where it had only recently been taken from Lysimacus and which was full of ambitious regional dynasts desirous of carving out their own kingdoms. After putting down a revolt of the new cities in Syria, Antiochus turned his attention to fighting against the native rulers of Bithynia and Cappadocia, but was never able to bring them fully to heel. The Seleucid king's problems worsened in c. 278 BC, after 20,000 Gauls were ferried over to Asia Minor from Thrace. These were intended to serve as shock troops for Nicomedes I of Bithynia in a power struggle with his brother, but they soon took to raiding the cities of Asia Minor claimed by the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus I was only able to defeat the marauding Gauls and corral them in Galatia following a dramatic battle (c. 275 or 269/8 BC) involving the use of Indian war elephants. For this signal victory the king assumed the title of Soter, or Saviour, although some later writers credited the victory entirely to the elephants rather than to the king. In 274 BC, he embarked on the First Syrian War (274-271 BC) in an attempt to press his father's old claims to Coele Syria and Phoenicia against the occupying Ptolemy II, but this did little to expand the borders of the empire. Antiochus I had similarly little success in trying to repress the growing power of Pergamum in north-western Asia Minor and died in 261 BC, leaving his son, Antiochus II, to inherit the troubles of empire. The present tetradrachm was struck at the mint of Smyrna, which is known to have been targeted by Gauls and forced to pay protection money. Considering the relative lateness of the obverse portrait style it is believed to have been struck in the context of Antiochus I's great elephant victory. The very high level of preservation makes it clear that on the reverse Apollo is not barefoot as usual, but instead wears a pair of sandals. This feature is not specifically noted in the description of SC 311, but serves to illustrate the connection between this coinage and issues of Sardes, where the god is also represented with sandals. The meaning of the arrows held by Apollo is unclear. In early Seleucid numismatic scholarship the number was thought to represent the number of living male scions of the royal house, but it is now clear that they reflect the foibles of the issuing mints.
Tetradrachm, Smyrna circa 281-261, AR 17.12 g. Diademed head of Antiochus I r. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ – ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ Apollo seated l. on omphalos, holding three arrows in his r. hand and resting his l. on a bow leaning against the omphalos behind him; in r. field, ΘΕ in monogram and in exergue, ΑΤΡ in monogram. SC 311.2. WSM 1494.
In an exceptional state of preservation and possibly one of the finest tetradrachms of
Antiochus I. A portrait of great beauty in the finest Hellenistic style struck on
fresh metal and with a lovely light iridescent tone. Good extremely fine
Ex Nomos 1, 2009, 120 and Roma Numismatics 7, 2014, 818 sales. From the collection of an aesthete.
In 281 BC, just as Seleucus I Nicator was about to crown his conquest of the East and Asia Minor with the addition of Macedonia to his vast realm, he was struck down by an assassin. The first Seleucid king was immediately succeeded by his son, Antiochus I, who had been sharing power with his father since about 294 BC. The task of holding together the empire was a daunting task, particularly in the west, where it had only recently been taken from Lysimacus and which was full of ambitious regional dynasts desirous of carving out their own kingdoms. After putting down a revolt of the new cities in Syria, Antiochus turned his attention to fighting against the native rulers of Bithynia and Cappadocia, but was never able to bring them fully to heel. The Seleucid king's problems worsened in c. 278 BC, after 20,000 Gauls were ferried over to Asia Minor from Thrace. These were intended to serve as shock troops for Nicomedes I of Bithynia in a power struggle with his brother, but they soon took to raiding the cities of Asia Minor claimed by the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus I was only able to defeat the marauding Gauls and corral them in Galatia following a dramatic battle (c. 275 or 269/8 BC) involving the use of Indian war elephants. For this signal victory the king assumed the title of Soter, or Saviour, although some later writers credited the victory entirely to the elephants rather than to the king. In 274 BC, he embarked on the First Syrian War (274-271 BC) in an attempt to press his father's old claims to Coele Syria and Phoenicia against the occupying Ptolemy II, but this did little to expand the borders of the empire. Antiochus I had similarly little success in trying to repress the growing power of Pergamum in north-western Asia Minor and died in 261 BC, leaving his son, Antiochus II, to inherit the troubles of empire. The present tetradrachm was struck at the mint of Smyrna, which is known to have been targeted by Gauls and forced to pay protection money. Considering the relative lateness of the obverse portrait style it is believed to have been struck in the context of Antiochus I's great elephant victory. The very high level of preservation makes it clear that on the reverse Apollo is not barefoot as usual, but instead wears a pair of sandals. This feature is not specifically noted in the description of SC 311, but serves to illustrate the connection between this coinage and issues of Sardes, where the god is also represented with sandals. The meaning of the arrows held by Apollo is unclear. In early Seleucid numismatic scholarship the number was thought to represent the number of living male scions of the royal house, but it is now clear that they reflect the foibles of the issuing mints.