Cleveland Museum of Art

Tetradrachm: Head of Antiochos V (obverse); Zeus (reverse)

Date: 164–162 BCE
Medium: silver
Culture: Greek, Seleukid, minted at Antioch (Syria), reign of Antiochos V
Department: Greek and Roman Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

Thrust into power while still a child, Antiochos V used coinage to legitimize his tenuous control. On the obverse of this coin, Antiochos appears like many Hellenistic kings, with heavy hair curls and a diadem. On the reverse, a seated Zeus holds the goddess of victory, Nike, who crowns Antiochos’s name with a wreath, confirming his divine right to rule. Antiochos V’s boyish portrait reflects his accession to the Seleucid throne at 9 years of age.

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