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Tetradrachm - Alexander II Zabinas
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 128 BC - 122 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Diademed and youthful bare head of Alexander II Zabinas facing right, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with richly articulated, flowing hair swept back from the forehead and falling in voluminous curls around the neck. The effigy displays idealized, slightly soft facial features characteristic of late Seleucid portraiture, with a straight nose, well-defined lips, and a smooth, rounded chin. The diadem is tied at the rear, with its ends visible behind the head. The field is plain, and the portrait is set within a dotted border partially visible at the coin's irregular flan edge. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Alexander II Zabinas was a pretender whose very existence was a diplomatic weapon. Ptolemy VIII of Egypt sponsored his claim to the Seleucid throne specifically to destabilize Demetrius II Nicator, and it worked — Demetrius was defeated and killed in 125 BC, leaving Zabinas in control of much of Syria. His reign unraveled just as cynically as it began: he alienated Antioch by allegedly plundering temple treasuries to pay his debts, and Antiochus VIII Grypus, backed by fresh Ptolemaic support, drove him out. Zabinas was captured and executed around 123 or 122 BC.
The name "Zabinas" itself is thought to derive from an Aramaic term meaning "bought one" — a taunt, almost certainly applied by his enemies to underscore the purchased nature of his legitimacy.