SELEUKID KINGS. Antiochos I Soter, 281-261 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 25 mm, 16.94 g, 6 h), Aï Khanoum. Diademed head of Antiochos I to right. Rev. ΒAΣΙΛΕΩΣ - ANTIOXOY Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in his right hand and resting his left on grounded bow; in inner left field, monogram of ΔΟ. ESM 696. Kritt, Aï Khanoum, p. 118, 32 (A14/P23). SC 438.1a. A bold and unusually attractive example with a wonderful Baktrian portrait. Minor flan faults on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine.

Antiochos I served as viceroy of the eastern satrapies of the Seleucid Empire from 294 BC. In this capacity, he played a key role in consolidating and expanding Seleukid control in the East, following his father Seleukos' conquest of the region during his multi-year anabasis. Whether the renowned northern Afghan city of Aï Khanoum, where our coin was minted, was founded by Seleukos or Antiochos I remains a subject of debate. However, it was undoubtedly Antiochos I who drove the extensive urbanization efforts in Baktria. The discovery of Aï Khanoum's ruins in the 1960s marked a major milestone in the study of Hellenistic remains in Central Asia. The idea of a wholly Greek city amid the vastness of Central Asia captured the imagination of many Western scholars. Today, following numerous archaeological surveys, our understanding of Greek-Macedonian rule in Central Asia has expanded significantly. Aï Khanoum is now considered within a broader cultural and historical context, one that acknowledges the region's diverse influences. Still, it remains the only fully excavated Hellenistic city in Central Asia