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Founded 12-Dec-2004
Last update 30-Jul-2009
Silver coin Bronze coin References
Identification Number KA8-AR-01
| Mint: | Antioch on the Orontes1 |
| Period: | 123/2 - 121/0 BC2 |
| Denomination: | AR Tetradrachm |
| Weight: | 16.60 g |
| Diameter: | 26 - 30 mm3 |
| Obverse: | Jugate heads of Kleopatra Thea, diademed and with stephane4 and veil, and Antiochos VIII, diademed, to right; dotted border |
| Reverse: | ‘ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣ[ΗΣ] ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑ[Σ]’ right, ‘ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ’ left (“of Queen Kleopatra and King Antiochos”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated on throne left, holding Nike in outstretched right hand and scepter with left hand; ‘ΙΕ’ in outer left field; ‘ΑΙ’ under throne |
| Die axis: | 0º |
| References: | Houghton, CSE, 316 var. (‘Δ’ under throne); Newell, SMA, 361; SNG Spaer, 2438 var. (same obverse die, ‘Α’ under throne); VAuctions, Sale 224 (March 26, 2009), Lot 28 (same obverse die); Classical Numismatic Group, Mail Bid Sale 57 (April 4, 2001), Lot 581 var. (same obverse die, ‘Δ’ under throne); Pars Coins, stock No. PCW-G1803 var. (same obverse die, ‘Δ’ under throne); La Galerie Numismatique, Auction 11 (January 13, 2008), Lot 28 var. (same obverse die, ‘Α’ under throne) |
Cited coins:
VAuctions, Sale 224, Lot 28
| Mint: | Antioch on the Orontes |
| Period: | 123/2 - 121/0 BC |
| Denomination: | AR Tetradrachm |
| Weight: | 16.72 g |
| Diameter: | 27 mm |
| Obverse: | Jugate heads of Kleopatra Thea, diademed and with stephane and veil, and Antiochos VIII, diademed, to right; dotted border |
| Reverse: | ‘[ΒΑ]ΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ [Κ]ΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ’ right, ‘ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ [Α]ΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ’ left (“of Queen Kleopatra and King Antiochos”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated on throne left, holding Nike in outstretched right hand and scepter with left hand; ‘ΙΕ’ in outer left field; ‘ΑΙ’ under throne |
| Die axis: | 0º |
| References: | Houghton, CSE, 316 var. (‘Δ’ under throne); Newell, SMA, 361; SNG Spaer, 2438 var. (same obverse die, ‘Α’ under throne) |
| Source: | Photo courtesy of VAuctions – Sale 224 (March 26, 2009), Lot 28 |
Classical Numismatic Group, Mail Bid Sale 57, Lot 581
| Mint: | Antioch on the Orontes |
| Period: | 123/2 - 121/0 BC |
| Denomination: | AR Tetradrachm |
| Weight: | 15.83 g |
| Diameter: | |
| Obverse: | Jugate heads of Kleopatra Thea, diademed and with stephane and veil, and Antiochos VIII, diademed, to right; dotted border |
| Reverse: | ‘[ΒΑΣ]ΙΛΙΣΣ[ΗΣ] ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ’ right, ‘ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ [Α]ΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ’ left (“of Queen Kleopatra and King Antiochos”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated on throne left, holding Nike in outstretched right hand and scepter with left hand; ‘ΙΕ’ in outer left field; ‘Δ’ under throne |
| Die axis: | 0º |
| References: | Houghton, CSE, 316; Newell, SMA, 360; SNG Spaer, 2438 var. (same obverse die, ‘Α’ under throne) |
| Source: | Photo courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. – Mail Bid Sale 57 (April 4, 2001), Lot 581 |
Pars Coins, stock No. PCW-G1803
| Mint: | Antioch on the Orontes |
| Period: | 123/2 - 121/0 BC |
| Denomination: | AR Tetradrachm |
| Weight: | 15.90 g |
| Diameter: | 26 - 29 mm |
| Obverse: | Jugate heads of Kleopatra Thea, diademed and with stephane and veil, and Antiochos VIII, diademed, to right; dotted border |
| Reverse: | ‘[Β]ΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ’ right, ‘[Κ]ΑΙ [Β]ΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ [ΑΝ]ΤΙΟΧΟΥ’ left (“of Queen Kleopatra and King Antiochos”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated on throne left, holding Nike in outstretched right hand and scepter with left hand; ‘ΙΕ’ in outer left field; ‘Δ’ under throne |
| Die axis: | 0º |
| References: | Houghton, CSE, 316; Newell, SMA, 360; SNG Spaer, 2438 var. (same obverse die, ‘Α’ under throne) |
| Source: | Photo courtesy of Pars Coins, Parviz Ahghari – fixed price list, stock No. PCW-G1803 (recorded February 15, 2008) |
La Galerie Numismatique, Auction 11, Lot 28
| Mint: | Antioch on the Orontes |
| Period: | 123/2 - 121/0 BC |
| Denomination: | AR Tetradrachm |
| Weight: | 16.54 g |
| Diameter: | |
| Obverse: | Jugate heads of Kleopatra Thea, diademed and with stephane and veil, and Antiochos VIII, diademed, to right; dotted border |
| Reverse: | ‘ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗ[Σ] ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑ[Σ]’ right, ‘ΚΑΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧ[ΟΥ]’ left (“of Queen Kleopatra and King Antiochos”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated on throne left, holding Nike in outstretched right hand and scepter with left hand; ‘ΙΕ’ in outer left field; ‘Α’ under throne |
| Die axis: | 0º |
| References: | Houghton, CSE, 316 var. (‘Δ’ under throne); Newell, SMA, 359; SNG Spaer, 2438 (same obverse die) |
| Source: | Photo courtesy of La Galerie Numismatique – Auction 11 (January 13, 2008), Lot 28 |
Identification Number KA8-AE-01
| Mint: | Antioch on the OrontesAntioch1 |
| Period: | 123/2 BC |
| Denomination: | AE Unit |
| Weight: | |
| Diameter: | 16 - 18 mm5 |
| Obverse: | Diademed and radiate head of Antiochos VIII right; dotted border |
| Reverse: | ‘ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗ[Σ] ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑ[Σ]’ right, ‘[ΚΑΙ] [ΒΑΣ]ΙΛΕ[ΩΣ] [ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ]’ left (“of Queen Kleopatra and King Antiochos”); owl standing right on overturned amphora, head facing; ‘ΙΕ’ monogram in inner right field; part of an indistinguishable symbol in left part of exergue, Seleukid date in right part of exergue (year 190 of the Seleukid Era, i.e. 123/2 BC)6 |
| Die axis: | c. -15º |
| References: | Houghton, CSE, 317; SNG Spaer, 2441 - 2460, 2465 |
1 Antioch was founded about 300 BC by Seleukos I Nikator, the founder of the Seleukid Dynasty, and it became the principal capital of the Seleukid Empire. The city was named after a family name Antiochos, passed from his father to his son (Antiochos I Soter). There were a number of other cities by the same name and this Antioch was known as Antioch-on-the-Orontes (i.e. the Orontes River, along which it was located).
2 Alexander II was defeated by Kleopatra Thea and Antiochos VIII in 123/2 BC and Antioch was captured shortly afterwards. (Bellinger, The End of the Seleucids, pp. 64-65; Newell, The Seleucid Mint of Antioch, p. 90)
3 See also section Maximum and Minimum Width of Coins, Figures 1 and 3.
4 A metal headband worn by goddesses and Hellenistic and Roman women.
5 See also section Maximum and Minimum Width of Coins, Figures 2 and 4.
6 The Seleukid Era is based on a lunar calendar, beginning with the autumn of 312 BC. It means that if x is a Seleukid year (and x<312) then the corresponding BC time interval is from 313–x to 312–x.
The beginning of the Seleukid Era was set as follows: In 311 BC, shortly after capturing Babylon, Seleukos I Nikator began the enumeration of his satrapal years there. However, after his decisive victory over Antigonos Monophthalmos in 307/6 BC, he backdated his “fictitious” first regnal year to coincide with Nisanu 1, 311 BC (New Year’s Day in the Babylonian calendar). This marked the antedated epoch of the Seleukid calendar according to the Babylonian reckoning. Later in 305/4 BC, when Seleukos I took the diadem and assumed the royal title “King”, he retained the numbering of his regnal years in Babylon but employed the Makedonian calendar and thus pushed his accession year back to Dios, 312 BC (Dios was the first month of the Makedonian calendar; it corresponds to October-November). This became the antedated epoch of the Seleukid era on the Macedonian calendar. (Assar, Recent Studies in Parthian History, Part I, p. 6)
The Seleukid Era was used at least until the first century AD in some Eastern countries.
References:
- Assar, Gholamreza F.:Recent Studies in Parthian History, Part I. The Celator, Vol. 14, No. 12 (December 2000), pp. 6-22.
- Bellinger, Alfred R.:The End of the Seleucids. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 38, June 1949, pp. 51-102. New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
- Houghton, Arthur:Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton. The American Numismatic Society, New York, 1983. (abbr. CSE)
- Houghton, Arthur; Spaer, Arnold (with the assistance of Catharine Lorber):Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum. Israel I. The Arnold Spaer Collection of Seleucid Coins. Italo Vecchi Ltd., London, 1998. (abbr. SNG Spaer)
- Newell, Edward T.:The Seleucid Mint of Antioch. Chicago, 1978 (Obol International reprint of the New York 1918 original edition). (abbr. SMA)