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Tetradrachm - Seleukos I Nikator
| Issuer | Seleucid Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 281 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An Indian elephant advancing to the right in high relief, its trunk lowered and tusks prominently rendered, with a bell suspended from its neck by a strap. A control mark appears beneath the elephant in the lower field. The Greek royal legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ arcs above the elephant across the upper field, and ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ is inscribed along the lower exergual area, together reading 'of King Seleukos'. The bold, naturalistic treatment of the elephant reflects the Seleucid dynasty's celebrated use of war elephants and their propagandistic significance. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ |
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| Additional information |
Seleukos I was assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunos within months of this coin's production — struck in the final year of his reign as he crossed into Macedonia to press his claim on the Antigonid throne. The irony is considerable: he had just defeated Lysimachos at Korupedion, the last of the original Diadochoi, and likely believed the entirety of Alexander's empire was finally within reach.
The SC1 reference places this among the foundational issues of the Seleucid series as catalogued by Houghton and Lorber, the standard scholarly authority on the dynasty's coinage.