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Chalkon - Antiochos IV
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 175 BC - 172 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Chalkon (1⁄48) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Head of an elephant facing left, rendered in bold relief with clearly articulated trunk curling downward and a large ear visible behind the head; the elephant motif evokes the Seleucid dynasty's celebrated war elephants and their Macedonian military heritage. A partial Greek legend appears around the lower portion of the field, identifying the royal issuer. The flan edges are irregular, characteristic of hand-struck bronze coinage of the period. |
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| Reverse lettering | BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOCHOY (Translation: King Antiochos (IV)) |
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| Additional information |
Antiochos IV came to power after years as a hostage in Rome, an experience that left him with an unusually intimate familiarity with Roman institutions and a determination to Hellenize his kingdom more aggressively than any predecessor. These early bronzes, struck within the first three years of his reign, predate the catastrophic Sixth Syrian War and the humiliation at Eleusis in 168 BC, when the Roman legate Gaius Popillius Laenas drew a circle in the sand and demanded Antiochos withdraw from Egypt before stepping out of it.
SC 1421 and 1422 represent two distinct issues from this opening period, differentiated in Seleucid Coins by control marks and die linkage.