SELEUKID KINGS OF SYRIA. Antiochos Hierax, circa 242-227 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 31 mm, 16.91 g, 1 h), Ilion. Diademed idealized head of a young king to right. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ - ANTIOXOY Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in his right hand and resting his left on grounded bow; in exergue, owl standing left, head facing. SC 868. WSM 1603. Very rare. A splendid example with a most attractive idealized Hellenistic portrait. Nearly extremely fine.




Hierax' coinage differs from all other Seleukid issues in showing a puzzling variety of royal portraits. These include images of his father and grandfather Antiochos II and Antiochos I, as well as of himself, but the lines between the three are often deliberately blurry to emphasize the line of succession and thus boast Hierax's tenuous claim to power. On this particular issue, the portrait is devoid of any individual features; instead, it reflects the ideal features of a Hellenistic king, young and energetic, a new Alexander or Seleukos.