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Tetradrachm - Demetrios I Soter Antioch
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 152 BC - 150 BC |
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| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of Demetrios I Soter facing right, portrayed in idealized Hellenistic style with finely rendered curling hair and a royal diadem tied behind the neck with trailing ends visible. The effigy occupies the full field of the flan, displaying strong, youthful facial features characteristic of royal Seleucid portraiture. The entire portrait is set within a finely detailed laurel wreath border encircling the coin. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Demetrios I came to power in 162 BC after escaping from Rome, where he had been held as a political hostage since childhood — effectively a pawn against Seleucid ambitions in the East. His epithet Soter, "Savior," was earned by suppressing the rebellion of the pretender Alexander Balas, though Balas ultimately won: Demetrios was killed in battle against him around 150 BC, precisely when this issue was being struck. These late coins of his reign were minted under an administration already losing its grip on the throne.