This is a silver tetradrachm from the Seleucid Empire – a Hellenistic state founded in 312 BC after the death of Alexander the Great by one of his generals, Seleucus I Nicator. While the kingdom originally stretched from Asia Minor in the west to India in the east, by the time this coin was struck it had shrunk to a core area composed mostly of present day Syria, Lebanon and Israel. It was finally conquered by Rome in 64 BC.
The coin weighs in at a hefty 16.78 grams (0.54 troy ounces) and measures approximately 28 mm (1.10 inches) in diameter. This is a large, impressive coin that represented a huge amount of buying power in the ancient Greek world – equal to a skilled laborer’s wages for four days.
It was struck during the reign of Antiochus VII between 138 BC and 129 BC. Antiochus VII was given the epithet Euergetes – the Benefactor – in celebration of his accommodation of the Jewish religion during his reign. Religious tolerance was a very rare commodity at the time as evidenced by one of his predecessors – Antiochus IV – who ruled from 175 BC to 164 BC. That tyrant was the first ruler in history to be given the label of "Antichrist".
The tetradrachm features an outstanding diademed portrait of Antiochus VII rendered in the finest Hellenistic style on the obverse. The reverse shows the Greek goddess Athena holding a miniature version of the goddess Nike (Victory) in her outstretched hand. The goddesses are surrounded by a wreath and Greek legends.
Comes in a polished redwood case with its own casing
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