SELEUKID KINGS. Antiochos XII Dionysos, 87/6-84/3 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 15.32 g, 12 h), Damaskos, SE 226 = 87/6. Diademed head of Antiochos XII to right. Rev. BΛΣIΛE[ΩC] / ANTIOXO[Y] / EΠIΦΛNOY[Σ] - ΦIΛOΠΛTOPO[Σ] / KΛΛΛINIKOY cult statue of Hadad standing facing on double basis, arms extended, holding grain ear in right hand; at feet, two bull foreparts flanking; in exergue, monogram and C[ΚΣ] (date). DCA 309. HGC 9, 1324. HHV 3-4 (A4/-). SC 2471.2. Extremely rare and of great historical interest. Areas of weakness and with some tiny marks and scratches on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.



Antiochos XII Dionysos (87/6-84/3 BC), a son of Antiochos VIII Grypos and probably Tryphaina, was one of the last energetic rulers of the rapidly disintegrating Seleukid kingdom. Following the defeat and captivity of his brother Demetrios III, he established himself at Damaskos, while another brother, Philip I, controlled Antioch and much of northern Syria; his own authority was centred on Damaskos and the southern regions of the kingdom. The very rare dated tetradrachms struck at Damaskos from Seleukid years 226 to 230 provide the firmest evidence for the chronology of his reign, while their standing Zeus Nikephoros has often been interpreted as reflecting the local cult of the Damascene storm-god Hadad.

Antiochos’ reign was dominated by conflict with the expanding Nabataean kingdom and brought him into direct confrontation with the Hasmonaean king and high priest Alexander Jannaeus. According to Josephus, Jannaeus, fearing an invasion, attempted to block the Seleukid army’s passage through Judaea by constructing a long defensive system of trench, wall, wooden towers and firing platforms between Chabarsaba, later Antipatris, and the coast at Joppa. Antiochos burned these fortifications and continued into Arabia, although the archaeological identification and even the precise historical form of this so-called 'Yannai Line' remains disputed. He was subsequently killed while fighting the Nabataeans, probably in 84/3 or perhaps in 83/2 BC; the destruction of much of his army and the ensuing loss of Damaskos marked a decisive stage in the collapse of Seleukid power in southern Syria.