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Greek Coins :
Seleucid Coins : Silver Tetradrachm of King Antiochus VII
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Silver Tetradrachm of King Antiochus VII - C.2085
Origin: Minted in Antioch
Circa: 138
BC
to 129
BC
Collection: Numismatics
Style: Seleucid
Medium: Silver
$2,400.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Obverse: Portrait of the Emperor Crowned in a
Diadem
Reverse: Athena Standing Left Holding Nike
The son of Demetrius I and brother of Demetrius
II, both kings of the Seleucid state of Syria,
Antiochus VII spent his youth in the Greek
islands. In 141, his brother was captured while
fighting the Parthians. Cleopatra Thea,
Demetrius II's queen, meanwhile was regent; but
a usurper, Tryphon, had risen and threatened to
seize full power. At this point, Antiochus VII, an
energetic prince, arrived in Syria (139), married
Cleopatra Thea, and put Tryphon to flight. A
passage in the Bible (I Maccabees 14:1–14)
suggests that he first assured himself of the
neutrality of possible opponents, such as Judah.
By 138, Antiochus had ended Tryphon's career,
and he delivered an ultimatum to the Jews to
acknowledge him as overlord. When they
refused, he sent one army against them, which
was defeated, and, later, in 135/134, he himself
led a siege, which captured Jerusalem. Internal
dissension among the leaders of Judah aided
him. Antiochus razed Jerusalem's walls and
made John Hyrcanus, who had recently assumed
leadership, his vassal. Rejecting suggestions to
exterminate the Jews, he appointed Hyrcanus
high priest and allowed religious autonomy. With
Palestine secured, Antiochus set out to restore
his forefathers' eastern realm. With enthusiastic
support from the Hellenized cities he drove the
Parthians from Mesopotamia and invaded Media.
The Parthians, perhaps hopeful of stirring up civil
war behind him, released Antiochus' brother,
who had been a prisoner since 141. In early 129
the Parthians made a surprise attack on the
Seleucid winter quarters and slew Antiochus, who
left five children by his queen. Syria lapsed into
civil war, with all hopes of empire gone.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long
forgotten empire. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural details that are often lacking
in contemporary machine-made currencies.
Antiochos sought to restore his empire to its
original glory achieved under his father’s rule.
However, more than just a memorial to
Antiochos VII, this coin is a gorgeous artifact
commemorating the greater Seleukid kingdom
passed from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to generation.
- (C.2085)
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