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Tetradrachm - Alexander I Balas Ake-Ptolemais
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 152 BC - 145 BC |
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| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Alexander I Balas seized the Seleucid throne by claiming to be the son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes — a lineage almost certainly fabricated, and one that Rome and Pergamon nonetheless endorsed purely to destabilize Demetrius I. His reign was underwritten by Ptolemy VI of Egypt, who initially gave him a daughter in marriage before switching sides back to Demetrius II mid-conflict. The mint at Ake-Ptolemais, a Phoenician port city with deep Ptolemaic ties, was a natural choice for striking his coinage given that political alignment.
Balas was killed in 145 BC following battlefield defeat, his head sent to Ptolemy VI — who died of his own wounds days later.