Antiochus VI was installed as a child-king by the general Diodotus Tryphon around 145 BC, used as a dynastic puppet to legitimize Tryphon's own seizure of power. The boy never ruled in any meaningful sense. By approximately 142 BC, Tryphon had him killed — ancient sources including Diodorus Siculus and Livy's tradition give varying accounts of the method, with some citing a fabricated surgical procedure as cover — and declared himself king outright. This drachm falls squarely within that brief, cynical reign.
Antiochus VI was installed as a child-king by the general Diodotus Tryphon around 145 BC, used as a dynastic puppet to legitimize Tryphon's own seizure of power. The boy never ruled in any meaningful sense. By approximately 142 BC, Tryphon had him killed — ancient sources including Diodorus Siculus and Livy's tradition give varying accounts of the method, with some citing a fabricated surgical procedure as cover — and declared himself king outright. This drachm falls squarely within that brief, cynical reign.