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Chalkon - Alexander I Balas
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 152 BC - 145 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.1 g |
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| Reverse description | A warship prow advancing to the left occupies the central field, its oar-banks rendered in low relief with characteristic Hellenistic detail. To the right of the prow, a horizontal anchor is depicted, serving as a dynastic symbol of the Seleucid house. The royal Greek legend is divided into two lines, BAΣIΛEΩΣ above and AΛEΞANΔΡOY below, identifying the issuing monarch as King Alexander (Balas). The serrated flan edge is clearly visible around the entire circumference. |
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| Edge | Serrated |
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| Additional information |
Alexander I Balas seized the Seleucid throne by claiming to be a son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes — a claim almost certainly fabricated, reportedly manufactured with the backing of Attalus II of Pergamon and the Roman Senate, who found him a useful instrument against Demetrius I. He held the throne from 150 BC only through a shifting web of foreign sponsors, including the Ptolemaic court, which gave him the hand of Cleopatra Thea. His reign collapsed when Demetrius II and Ptolemy VI turned against him simultaneously in 145 BC; he fled and was killed shortly after, his severed head reportedly sent to Ptolemy VI.