Municipal Coins of Seleukid Syria

Antioch on the Orontes

Bronze coin  •  References

Identification Number MAN-AE-01
Authority:	autonomous municipal issue
Mint:	Antioch on the Orontes
Period:	73/2 BC
Denomination:	AE Unit
Weight:	4.10 g
Diameter:	14.5 - 15.0 mm
Obverse:	Veiled and turreted bust of Tyche right; dotted border
Reverse:	‘[Α]ΝΤΙΟΧΕΩ[Ν] ΤΗΣ’ right, ‘[ΜΗ]ΤΡΟΠΟΛΕ[ΩΣ]’ left (“of the Antiocheans of the Metropolis”); tripod; Seleukid date ΜΣ (year 240 of the Seleukid Era, i.e. 73/2 BC)1 in exergue; control marks, if any, unrecognizable or off flan2
Die Position:	0º
References:	Hunterian Coll. III, p. 144, No. 25; BMC 20, p. 153, Nos. 19-20 var. (different year); Butcher, CRS, p. 312, medium denomination; Hoover, HSC, 1374
Note:	This type is known from the following years of the Seleukid era: ΑΚΣ (SE 221, 92/1 BC), ΒΚΣ (SE 222, 91/0 BC), ΕΚΣ (SE 225, 88/7 BC), ΖΚΣ (SE 227, 86/5 BC), ΗΚΣ (SE 228, 85/4 BC), ΑΛΣ (SE 231, 82/1 BC), ΒΛΣ (SE 232, 81/0 BC), ΓΛΣ (SE 233, 80/79 BC), ΔΛΣ (SE 234, 79/8 BC), ΕΛΣ (SE 235, 78/7 BC), ΜΣ (SE 240, 73/2 BC) and ΓΜΣ (SE 243, 70/69 BC). See Butcher, CRS, pp. 308-312 (medium denomination).

¹ 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.

² A combination of letters Π and Α is labeled with a question mark in Hunterian Coll. III, p. 144, No. 25.

References:

Assar, Gholamreza F.: Recent Studies in Parthian History, Part I. The Celator, Vol. 14, No. 12 (December 2000), pp. 6-22.

Butcher, Kevin: Coinage in Roman Syria: Northern Syria, 64 BC - AD 253. Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication No. 34, London, 2004. (abbr. CRS)

Hoover, Oliver D.: The Handbook of Syrian Coins: Royal and Civic Issues, Fourth to First Centuries BC. The Handbook of Greek Coinage Series, Vol. 9. Classical Numismatic Group, Inc., Lancaster / Pennsylvania - London / England, 2009. (abbr. HSC)

MacDonald, George: Catalogue of Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection, University of Glasgow. Volume 3. Further Asia, Northern Africa, Western Europe. Elibron Classics, Adamant Media Corporation, 2003. Replica edition of the edition published by James Maclehose and Sons, Glasgow, 1905. (abbr. Hunterian Coll. III)

Wroth, Warwick: British Museum Catalog of Greek Coins, Volume 20: Greek Coins of Galatia, Cappadocia and Syria. London, 1899 (reprint, Arnaldo Forni, Bologna, 1964). (abbr. BMC 20)