Tetradrachm - Seleukos I Seleukeia in Pieria

Seleukos I founded Seleukeia in Pieria around 300 BC as the first of his four Syrian capitals, deliberately positioning it at the mouth of the Orontes to control Mediterranean trade access. This mint became operationally significant almost immediately, striking the heavy silver coinage needed to pay the Macedonian-style armies that held the empire together across an enormous territory stretching from Syria to Bactria. The date range coincides with the final decade of Seleukos's reign, ending with his assassination in 281 BC by Ptolemy Keraunos shortly after crossing into Thrace.