| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 150 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 638 Price realized: 16,000 CHF (Approx. 18,022 USD / 17,215 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Pharnaces circa 63 – 46 Stater, Panticapaeum 53-52 (year 245), AV 21 mm, 8.19 g. Diademed head r. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ / BAΣIΛE – ΩN Apollo seated l., holding laurel branch in extended r. hand over tripod, l. arm resting on kithara at his side; behind, EMΣ. Below, MEΓAΛOY ΦAPNAKOY. Golenko-Karyszowski, NC 1972, p. 37, 4 (these dies). A.Nl Zorograph, Ancient Coinage part II, pl. XLIV, 3. MacDonald 185/3. Rare. An interesting Hellenistic portrait struck on a very broad flan, minor area of weakness on obverse and light marks on reverse, otherwise extremely fine / about extremely fine Ex Heritage sale 3033, 2014, 23027. From the Peter Bowe collection. As Rome sought to tighten its authority over the lands it had inherited in 133 B.C. from the last Pergamene king, Attallus III, and even to expand its reach, there were a few formidable kings and numerous petty rulers who had to be reckoned with. Chief among them was the Pontic King Mithradates VI (120-63), who caused so much devastation to Romans, their property, and their political interests for such a prolonged period that his infamy equalled that of Hannibal. Finally, in 63 B.C. options for Mithradates VI had expired, and the king who with such pride had throughout his life immunized himself against poisons committed suicide by consuming a lethal dose of poison, which seemingly was followed up with a sword thrust. This courageous and resourceful king seems to have been pushed to the brink by the betrayal of his son Pharnaces II, who in exchange for this act had been assured the throne of the Cimmerian Bosporus. His new allies, the Romans, declared him and his subjects 'friends and allies of the Roman people' (amicorum et socium populi Romani). Though he had gained his throne through treachery against his father, in collusion with a sworn enemy, Pharnaces ruled for seventeen years, and on his coinage he unashamedly uses the title 'Great King of Kings.' No other Pontic or Bosporan king had done so, and his successor, Asander (47-22 B.C.), reverted to the title 'King'. Pharnaces' portraits are modelled after those of the Macedonian king Alexander III, yet that was a tradition he inherited from his father, and it cannot necessarily be seen as an individual trait. Pharnaces is described in the ancient sources as treacherous, power-hungry and haughty. Though a roman client king, he had inherited from his father a desire for conquest, and he invaded Asia Minor, via Colchis, while Pompey and Julius Caesar were at war. His betrayal was rewarded by Caesar with a crushing defeat at Zela in 47 B.C., after which he famously stated: „I came, I saw, I conquered." Pharnaces was allowed by Caesar to continue his rule, and his life ended only after taking the field against the rebel-successor Asander. The Romans initially opposed Asander, but Octavian soon endorsed him as king. Stylistically, Pharnaces' gold staters form a tightly knit group, and it is possible – even likely – that the same engraver produced every die for his staters. They are known only for a period of five years, dated to the years 243 to 247 of the Bithynian Era (55/4-51/0 B.C.). In their 1972 study of these staters, Golenko and Karyszkowski note: „We cannot refer to any circumstances in the internal history of the Bosporan kingdom which could be connected with the sudden appearance and then the unexpected cessation of the gold coins. ... The coins, therefore, seem to have been a mere political gesture rather than a thought-out economic enterprise." Asander was far more assertive with his coinage, issuing staters dated by his regal years rather than to the Bithynian Era; he is known to have issued them in all four of his years as Archon (1-4) and for all but four of his over twenty years as King (5-29). Estimate: 10000 CHF |  |
Match 1:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 149 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 47 Price realized: 600 CHF (Approx. 676 USD / 646 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Seleucus II Callinicus, 246 – 226 Tetradrachm, Ecbatana circa 246-245, AR 31 mm, 16.36 g. Diademed head of Seleucus II r. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ΣEΛEYKOY Apollo seated l. on omphalos, holding three arrows and resting l. arm on grounded bow; in l. field, monograms and forepart of horse grazing l. SNG Spaer –. SC 807d. An extremely rare variety, apparently the only one in private hands, of a very rare type. Light iridescent tone, minor marks and surface somewhat porous, otherwise very fine / good very fine, From the W.K. Raymond collection. This extremely rare issue of Ecbatana is notable for its retention of the traditional reverse type of Apollo seated on the omphalos and testing an arrow long after most other mints under the control of Seleucus II had adopted his personal type of Apollo standing and testing an arrow while leaning against a tall tripod. The standing type seems only to have been introduced at Ecbatana for celebratory issues struck during the king's Parthian campaign in 228-227 BC. It should be noted that Ecbatana had a general tendency towards conservatism in its use of types, preferring the seated Apollo type for its coinage to other personal types later developed by Antiochus IV and his successors. This conservatism may reflect a local preference for traditional types as a guarantee of value, the requirements of mercenaries desirous of being paid with types easily recognized elsewhere, or the proximity of the Parthian empire. The coinage of the Parthian kings regularly featured a seated Parthian archer in conscious imitation of the Seleucid Apollo type Estimate: 500 CHF |  |
Match 2:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 149 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 252 Price realized: 1,300 CHF (Approx. 1,464 USD / 1,399 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Demetrius II Nicator, first reign, 146 – 138 Tetradrachm, Antiochia on the Orontes 146-145 (year 167), AR 30 mm, 16.79 g. Diademed head of Demetrius II r. Fillet border. Rev. [B]AΣΙΛΕΩΣ – ΔHMHTPIOY – ΘEOY – ΦIΛAΔEΛΦOY – NIKATOPOΣ Apollo seated l. on omphalos, testing arrow in r. hand and resting l. arm on grounded bow; in inner l. field, monogram and in exergue, ZΞP and monogram. DCA 146. SC 1906.2d. Wonderful old cabinet tone and good very fine Ex M&M sale 95, 2004, 67. In 147 BC, Demetrius II Nicator, the son of Demetrius I Soter, embarked upon a plan to reclaim the Seleucid kingdom from the usurper who had killed his father. Despite being only about 13 years old, Demetrius II hired an army of Cretan mercenaries and landed in Cilicia to challenge Alexander I Balas for the throne. At the same time, Ptolemy VI Philometor was marching northwards from Egypt, apparently to assist the beleaguered Alexander I, but once he reached Ake-Ptolemais thought better of it and instead threw his support behind Demetrius II. To seal the deal, Ptolemy VI even gave Demetrius II the hand of Cleopatra Thea, whom he had only married to Alexander I a few years earlier in 150 BC(!).While Ptolemy VI s2eems to have planned to use Demetrius II as a puppet to control the Seleucid kingdom in the interests of Egypt, he was ultimately thwarted by defeating Alexander I in battle in 145 BC. Despite achieving victory for Demetrius II, the Ptolemaic king died soon after from wounds sustained in the fighting, thereby leaving the youthful Demetrius II to reign withou2t oversight. He immediately set about making himself extremely unpopular with both the people of Antioch and with the army. Preferring to rely on his mercenaries, Demetrius II disbanded and failed to pay many elements of the regular Seleucid army in Syria, while reprisals against the Antiochenes for their previous support of Alexander I led to rioting in the city. Demetrius' solution to this outpouring of public anger was to use 3,000 Jewish archers provided by the high priest Simon Thassi to fire into the raging crowds. Unsurprisingly, calm was not restored in this manner, and popular resentment against Demetrius II soon began to be focused by the general Diodotus at Apamea, in support of the child king Antiochus VI Dionysus. In little more than a year, Diodotus, who came to be known as Tryphon, forced Demetrius II out of Antioch, although he still retained control of Seleucia in Pieria, Laodicea by the Sea, and much of Cilicia. While the power of Demetrius II was unravelling in Syria due to civil war, the eastern territories of the Seleucid empire were in a fight for survival against local dynasts and the expanding Parthian empire of Mithradates I. In 141 BC, the unthinkable happened and the Parthians, who had already swallowed up Seleucid Media and Susa, overran Babylonia and captured the capital at Seleucia on the Tigris. Deeming the new Parthian crisis to be more dangerous than the ongoing struggle against Tryphon and Antiochus VI, in 138 BC, Demetrius II left Cleopatra Thea to hold Seleucia in Pieria and began a campaign to push back the eastern invader. He enjoyed some initial success against the Parthians and managed to reclaim Seleucia on the Tigris, but in July/August of 138 BC Demetrius II was defeated in battle and captured by Mithradates I. He subsequently lived as an honored hostage at the Parthian court in Hyrcania until he was finally released eight years later. Estimate: 500 CHF |  |
Match 3:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 149 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 300 Price realized: 800 CHF (Approx. 901 USD / 861 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Antiochus VII Euergets (Sidetes), 138 – 129 Tetradrachm, Seleucia in Pieria 139-138 (year 174), AR 29 mm, 16.40 g. Diademed head of Antiochus VII r. Fillet border. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ANTIOXOY – EYEPΓETOY Athena standing l., holding Nike with wreath in r. hand and shield in l.; in l. field, monogram and in exergue, ΔOP. All within wreath. LSM 52. SC 2075.1. Very rare. Old cabinet tone and very fine Privately purchased from CGB in September 2000. Upon discovering that his elder brother Demetrius II had been captured by the Parthians, thereby leaving the usurper Tryphon to increase his power over the Seleucid kingdom unchallenged, Antiochus VII returned to Syria from his exile in Side with an army in 138 BC. Antiochus VII was welcomed in Seleucia in Pieria, which had remained under the control of Demetrius' wife Cleopatra Thea, whom he immediately married to illustrate his legitimacy as the new rightful Seleucid king. He then set about evicting Tryphon from the rest of Syria and driving him south into Phoenicia. By late 138 or early 137 BC, Antiochus VII had besieged Tryphon first at Dora in Phoenicia and then at Syrian Apamea before the usurper was finally killed. Once Tryphon was out of the way, Antiochus VII was concerned to consolidate his hold on the Seleucid kingdom, particularly with respect to the Hasmonaean priestly rulers of Judaea whose power had increased exponentially in the south as Syria was rocked by the wars of rival kings. Although he had previously entered into an alliance with the high priest Simon Thassi during the war against Tryphon, he soon repudiated it and demanded the return of all cities that had previously fallen under Hasmonaean influence. Simon refused, but when he was suddenly assassinated by his son-in-law in 135 BC Antiochus VII invaded Judaea and placed Jerusalem under a siege, thereby forcing Simon's son and successor, John Hyrcanus I, to submit and again pay tribute to the Seleucid king. In 130 BC, Antiochus VII embarked on an ambitious grand campaign against the Parthians, who had continued to extend their influence westward after the capture of his brother. After winning three major battles, reclaiming Seleucia on the Tigris, and recovering Susiana, the king seemed poised to roll back the Parthians from all former Seleucid lands. But then, just as everything seemed to be going just as Antiochus VII had planned, the Parthian king Phraates II released Demetrius II to create chaos in Syria and the abuses of his army while billeted in Media turned the local population against him. In 129 BC, popular revolts were followed by an autumn attack by the Parthians. This time, the previous good fortune of Antiochus VII had abandoned him, and he was killed during the fighting. From this point on, the East was permanently lost to the Seleucid kingdom. Estimate: 1000 CHF |  |
Match 4:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 149 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 87 Price realized: 1,600 CHF (Approx. 1,802 USD / 1,721 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Antiochus III 'the Great', 223 – 187 Tetradrachm, Ecbatana circa 223-211, AR 28 mm, 17.15 g. Diademed head of Antiochus III r., with youthful features, long sideburn and hair in bangs over forehead. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – AN – TIOΧOY Apollo seated l. on omphalos, testing arrow in r. hand and resting l. arm on grounded bow; in outer l. field, monogram on horse head l. and in outer r. field, monogram. ESM 575 (this coin). SC 1230a. A gentle portrait and a lovely old cabinet tone and good very fine / very fine Ex Ars Classica sale X, 1925, baron Alexandre de Petrowicz, 959. Estimate: 400 CHF |  |
Match 5:
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 149 | Auction date: 2 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 126 Price realized: 800 CHF (Approx. 901 USD / 861 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Seleucus IV Philopator, 187 – 175 Tetradrachm, Tarsus circa 187-175, AR 30 mm, 17.09 g. Diademed head of Seleucus IV r., with older features, hair in short, choppy locks on crown of head. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ΣEΛE – YKOY Apollo seated l. on omphalos, testing arrow in r. hand and resting l. arm on grounded bow; in outer l. field, ΣA and in outer r. field, ΠA monogram. SC 1309. Very rare. A lovely portrait of fine style with a lovely iridescent tone. Good very fine Ex Archaeological Centre (Tel Aviv) sale 47, 2010, 237. In 193 BC, following the untimely death of his elder brother, Seleucus IV Philopator became the designated heir of Antiochus III. He was named as coregent with his father and actively supported his father during the disastrous war against the Romans in 182-189 BC. When Antiochus III died shortly thereafter, in 187 BC, Seleucus IV succeeded him as sole king and inherited all the problems created by the Roman war and the Peace of Apamea (188 BC) that formally ended it. The peace settlement awarded all former Seleucid territories north of the Taurus Mountains to the Attalid kingdom and Rhodes, banned Seleucid military operations in the same region, imposed large indemnity payments, and forbade the possession of a fleet and war elephants. All of these burdens fell directly upon Seleucus IV once he took up the throne and he therefore spent the bulk of his reign trying to manage them, or, in the case of the naval and elephant clauses, finding ways to sidestep them entirely. Seleucus IV did not engage in the grand campaigns of his father, but instead largely focused on the defense of the reduced kingdom. Nevertheless, when Pharnaces I of Pontus invaded the Attalid kingdom in 181 BC, Seleucus IV raised an army and began to march northwards, as if to provide his support, he thought better of it and returned home before crossing the Taurus. Although Seleucus IV is said to have fallen behind in his annual indemnity payments of 1000 talents to Rome, it is disputed among scholars whether this represented actual financial difficulties within the Seleucid kingdom or merely a lax and disdainful royal response to Roman demands. On the other hand, an attempt to seize funds in the Jerusalem temple reported by the hostile author of 2 Maccabees (3:5-40) has often been taken as evidence of financial strain on Seleucus IV. Whatever the case, the reign of Seleucus IV was brought to an early end in September 175 BC when Heliodorus, the high official previously involved with removing the Jerusalem temple funds, suddenly murdered the king and placed his infant son, Antiochus, on his father's throne. Estimate: 250 CHF |  |
