Obverse: Diademed Head of the King Facing
Right
Reverse: Apollo Seated on an Omphalos, Holding
Arrow and Bow, Inscription “BASILEUS” on the
Right, “SELEUKOU” on the Left, Palm Branch and
Wreath in Field on Left
The Seleukid Kingdom was established by
Seleukos I, one of the generals of Alexander the
Great, following the death of Alexander and the
division of his empire. At its peak under
Seleukos I and Antiochus I, the Seleucid Kingdom
comprised almost the whole of the conquests of
Alexander with the exception of Egypt. Ruling
from 187-175 B.C., Seleukos IV, the elder son of
Antiochus III the Great, inherited a much smaller
kingdom than his ancestors controlled since Asia
Minor, Parthia and Baktria had all become
independent. He governed what was left well,
considering he also had to pay a war-indemnity
to Rome.
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 currency in
the age we live or an artifact of a long forgotten
empire. This ancient coin is more than an
artifact; it is a memorial to a lost kingdom
passed from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to generation.
- (C.4008)
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