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Octodrachm - Antiochos III
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 221 BC - 220 AD |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Diademed portrait head of Antiochos III facing right, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with youthful, idealized features and a subtly incised brow. The royal diadem is tied around the elaborately rendered hair, with wavy locks swept back from the temples and a characteristic scroll of hair above the ear. The neck is cleanly truncated, and the portrait projects with strong, high relief characteristic of early Seleucid royal coinage. A beaded border encircles the field. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Antiochos III struck these heavy gold octodrachms early in his reign, almost certainly to fund the military campaigns that would earn him the epithet "the Great." His eastern anabasis — a decade-long march through Iran, Bactria, and India beginning around 212 BC — required enormous logistical expenditure, and large-denomination gold issues of this kind were the instrument of paying commanders, hiring troops, and securing allied loyalty.
The Seleucid gold series is substantially rarer than the silver, reflecting how selectively gold was struck. SC 1156 is known from a limited die study.