Seleukid Coins

Seleukos VI

Silver coins  •  Bronze coin  •  References

Identification Number SE6-AR-01
Mint:	Antioch on the Orontes1
Period:	c. 95/4 BC2
Denomination:	AR Tetradrachm
Weight:	16.11 g
Diameter:	27 - 28 mm
Obverse:	Diademed head of Seleukos VI right; fillet border
Reverse:	‘ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ’ right, ‘[Ε]ΠΙΦΑΝΟ[ΥΣ] [ΝΙΚΑΤΟΡΟΣ]’ left (“of King Seleukos, the Illustrious Victor”); Zeus Nikephoros (“carrying victory”) seated on throne left, holding Nike in right hand and scepter in left hand; ‘ΔΙ’ monogram under throne; control marks in outer left field, if any, off flan; laurel wreath border
Die Position:	0º
References:	Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II, 2415e; Houghton, CSE, 361 (same obverse die) and 362 var. (same obverse die, ‘Α’ under throne); Newell, SMA, 421; SNG Spaer, 2768 - 2769 var. (different control marks under throne); BMC 4, p. 95, No. 1 var. (different control mark under throne; Plate XXVIII, 11); Hunterian Coll. III, p. 109, No. 7

Identification Number SE6-AR-02
Mint:	Antioch on the Orontes1
Period:	c. 95/4 BC2
Denomination:	AR Drachm
Weight:	3.86 g
Diameter:	16 - 17 mm
Obverse:	Diademed head of Seleukos VI right, with short, curly beard; dotted border
Reverse:	‘ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ’ right, ‘ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΝΙΚΑΤΟΡΟ[Σ]’ left (“of King Seleukos, the Illustrious Victor”); Nike walking left, holding wreath in outstretched right hand; control mark in outer left field3 and ‘C’ beneath wing
Die Position:	c. -20º
References:	Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II, 2417; Newell, SMA, 426; SNG Spaer, 2776

Identification Number SE6-AE-01
Mint:	Antioch on the Orontes1
Period:	c. 95/4 BC2
Denomination:	AE Double Unit
Weight:	7.76 g
Diameter:	20.5 - 22.0 mm
Obverse:	Diademed head of Seleukos VI right, with short, curly beard; dotted border
Reverse:	‘ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩ[Σ] ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ’ right, ‘ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥ[Σ] ΝΙΚΑΤΟ[ΡΟΣ]’ left (“of King Seleukos, the Illustrious Victor”); nude Apollo standing left, holding fillet (?) in right hand and resting elbow on column to right; partially visible control in outer left field
Die Position:	c. -30º
References:	Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II, 2424 (the object in Apollo’s right hand described as an arrow); Houghton, CSE, 378 (the object in Apollo’s right hand described as an arrow); BMC 4, p. 96, No. 7 (the object in Apollo’s right hand described as a lyre; Plate XXV, 14); Hunterian Coll. III, p. 110, Nos. 12-13 (the object in Apollo’s right hand described as a branch)
Note:	The object in Apollo’s right hand is identified as an arrow in SC II and CSE, as a lyre in BMC 4 and as a branch in Hunterian Coll. III. However, it does not look like any of these symbols.
	It seems that the object resembles a fillet (in the ancient sense, a fillet was a strip of material – usually wool – bound around sacred objects). However, a fillet alone is an unusual symbol. It is perhaps possible that the fillet was supposed to be bound to the stem of a branch that is missing due to an engraver’s error. It is necessary to find other well-struck and well-preserved specimens to confirm or disprove this conjecture.4

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 Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II, Vol. I, p. 561

³ The bottom part of the outer left field is off flan, but - as known from other specimens - this coin type has ‘Α’ below the monogram (see, e.g., Houghton, Lorber and Hoover, SC II, 2417).

⁴ My sincere thanks to Arthur A. Houghton and Oliver D. Hoover for their help with the identification of the object and further information.

References:

Gardner, Percy: Catalogue of the Greek coins in the British Museum, Volume 4: The Seleucid Kings of Syria. London, 1878 (reprint, Arnaldo Forni, Bologna, 1963). (abbr. BMC 4)

Houghton, Arthur: Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton. The American Numismatic Society, New York, 1983. (abbr. CSE)

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)

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)

Newell, Edward T.: The Seleucid Mint of Antioch. Chicago, 1978 (Obol International reprint of the 1918 original). (abbr. SMA)