Description:

Greece, Antioch, ca. 150 to 145 BCE. (4.3 g) Obverse: Head of the King with Diadem. Reverse, with inscription, Apollo sitting on Omphalos facing left. On the left are two monograms. Size: 0.65" W (1.7 cm)

Alexander I Balas was a man of humble origins who, together with his sister Laodice, passed himself off as the heir to the Seleucid throne. With the help of a minister of the former king, his claims were recognized by the Roman Senate and the Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt. He married Cleopatra Thea, a member of the Ptolemies, and came to rely so heavily upon Ptolemaic support to prop up his kingdom that he even minted his coins in their portrait style. After only a few years of ruling, he lost his throne, and fled his kingdom, only to be beheaded when he sought refuge with a Nabataean prince. Lying ultimately did not pay off.

Provenance: private old German collection; acquired from Gorny & Mosch

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#124624

  • Condition: VF

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August 3, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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