ANTIOCHUS IV Hanukkah GREEK Seleucid King Ancient Coin

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

Item: i14481 Certified Authentic Ancient Coin of: Seleucid Empire: Antiochus IV, Epiphanes - King: 175-164 B.C. Bronze 15mm (3.43 grams) Struck circa 174-164 B.C. of Antiocheia ad Daphnen Reference: Sear 6997; B.M.C. 4.40,64 His radiate head right. Zeus standing facing, head left, holding wreath; on right ANTIOXE ΩN; on left, TΩN / � PO Σ ΔAΦNHI; monogram in field to left and to right. King Antiochus IV, Epiphanes of the Seleucid Kingdom reigned 175-164 B.C. Younger son of Antiochus the Great, Antiochus IV seized the Seleucid throne in 175 B.C. after having spent the previous twelve years as a hostage in Rome. He was a vigorous ruler and attempted to extend Seleucid influence by invading Egypt, though he was obliged to withdraw because of the Roman opposition. He was also aroused the hatred of the Jews by despoiling the Temple in Jerusalem and later tearing down the city walls. Antiochus died on campaign in the east in 164 B.C. You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. Antiochus IV Epiphanes (" Manifest (God) ", " the Illustrious " born c. 215 BC; died 163 BC) ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 163 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great and the brother of Seleucus IV Philopator . His original name was Mithridates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he assumed the throne. Notable events during the reign of Antiochus IV include his near-conquest of Egypt , which led to a confrontation that became an origin of the metaphorical phrase, " line in the sand " (see below ), and the rebellion of the Jewish Maccabees .He assumed divine epithets, which no other Hellenistic king had done, such as Theos Epiphanes ( Greek : ΘΕΟΣ Ε� ΙΦΑΝΗΣ mean "God Manifest") and after his defeat of Egypt, Nikephoros ( Greek : ΝΙΚΗΦΟΡΟΣ mean "Bearer of Victory"). But his often eccentric behavior, capricious actions and even insanity led some of his contemporaries to call him Epimanes ("The Mad One"), a word play on his title Epiphanes . Rise to Power As the son and a potential successor of King Antiochus III , Antiochus became a political hostage of the Roman Republic following the Peace of Apamea in 188 BC. When his older brother, Seleucus IV followed his father onto the throne in 187 BC, Antiochus was exchanged for his nephew Demetrius I Soter (the son and heir of Seleucus). After King Seleucus was assassinated by Heliodorus , an usurper , in 175 BC, Antiochus in turn ousted him. Since Seleucus' legitimate heir, Demetrius I Soter , was still a hostage in Rome , Antiochus, with the help of King Eumenes II of Pergamum, seized the throne for himself, proclaiming himself co-regent for another son of Seleucus, an infant named Antiochus (whom he then murdered a few years later). Wars against Egypt Main article: Sixth Syrian War When the guardians of King Ptolemy VI of Egypt demanded the return of Coele-Syria in 170 BC, Antiochus launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, conquering all but Alexandria and capturing King Ptolemy. To avoid alarming Rome , Antiochus allowed Ptolemy VI to continue ruling as a Puppet-king. Upon Antiochus' withdrawal, the city of Alexandria chose a new King, one of Ptolemy's brothers, also named Ptolemy (VIII Euergetes) . Instead of fighting a civil war, the Ptolemy brothers agreed to rule Egypt jointly.In 168 BC Antiochus led a second attack on Egypt and also sent a fleet to capture Cyprus . Before reaching Alexandria, his path was blocked by a single, old Roman ambassador named Gaius Popillius Laenas , who delivered a message from the Roman Senate directing Antiochus to withdraw his armies from Egypt and Cyprus, or consider themselves in a state of war with the Roman Republic. Antiochus said he would discuss it with his council, whereupon the Roman envoy drew a line in the sand around him and said, "Before you cross this circle I want you to give ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.