Coins Attribution References

Identification Number PH2-AR-04

Mint:	Antioch on the Orontes1
Period:	67/6 - 66/5 BC (?)
Denomination:	AR Tetradrachm

Detail

Weight:	14.88 g
Diameter:	24 - 26 mm
Obverse:	Diademed head of Philip II (?) right; fillet border
Reverse:	‘[Β]ΑΣΙΛΕΩ[Σ] ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ’ right, ‘[ΕΠ]ΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ [ΦΙΛΑΔ]ΕΛΦΟΥ’ left (“of King Philip, the Illustrious, Brother-Loving”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated left on throne, holding Nike in outstretched right hand and scepter in left hand; ‘ΑΝΤ’ in inner left field; ‘ΔΙ’ monogram under throne; ‘Η’ in exergue; all within partially visible laurel wreath
Die axis:	0º
References:	Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II, 2488 var. (unrecorded variant; classified as posthumous issue of Philip I)
Note:	This interesting variant is not recorded in Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II. The control mark ‘ΑΝΤ’ probably represents the city ethnic ΑΝΤΙΟΧΕΙΑ (“Antioch”).

Attribution

There are two series of posthumous tetradrachms of Philip I characterized by a peculiar portrait of the king. These series are categorized as Nos. 2487A and 2488 in Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II (see Vol. I, pp. 621-2). The series No. 2487A has controls in outer left field (‘Φ’ above ‘Α’), in the inner left field and in the exergue whereas the series No. 2488 has no control in the outer left field. The series 2847A represents a transition from the undoubted lifetime coinage of Philip I at Antioch to the issues carrying controls in the inner left field and/or in the exergue but none in the outer left field.

Coins presented on this page belong to the series No. 2488 in Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II. Issues of this series are differentiated by controls in inner left field and in the exergue. Houghton, Lorber and Hoover’s analysis of this series is summarized as follows (SC II, Vol. I, p. 621): The evidence of the Sarnakunk hoard, combined with the low weight standard, suggests a date of issue in the 60s or even later. There is no way to determine whether these tetradrachms might have been produced by Philip II, who has no known coinage; by the civic authorities at Antioch; or by the Roman administration before the proconsulship of Aulus Gabinius. The average weight suggests this coinage could have preceded that of Antiochus XIII, but the metrological data for his reign are too scanty to support a firm conclusion.2

In my personal opinion, portraits on this series are very different from both lifetime issues of Philip I and from the latter Roman re-issues. It would be strange if the Antiochene civic authorities or the Roman administration had chosen a model so different from the lifetime issues. The possibility that these coins in fact depict Philip I how he looked in 60s BC is not likely, as he was probably already dead by that time.3 Philip II’s nickname was “the Heavy-footed” (Βαρυπους), or perhaps “the Thick-footed” (Παχυπους).4 Both variants of the nickname indicate that Philip II was a corpulent man, which fully corresponds with the portraits on this series. For these reasons, the attribution of these coins to Philip II seems to me to be the most likely possibility, although the other possibilities cannot be also excluded.

References:

Dobias, Josef:Φιλιππος Βαρυπους – A Contribution to the History of the Last Seleukids. Listy Filologické / Folia Philologica (Prague, Czech Republic / Czechoslovakia), Volume 51, 1924, pp. 214 - 227.

Hoover, Oliver D.:Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, Part II. The American Numismatic Society, New York, 2007. (abbr. CSE 2)

Houghton, Arthur; Lorber, Catharine; Hoover, Oliver:Seleucid Coins, A Comprehensive Catalogue. Part II, Volumes 1 and 2. The American Numismatic Society, New York, in association with Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., Lancaster/London, 2008. (abbr. SC II)

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)