Seleukid Kingdom. Seleukeia on Tigris. Antiochos II Theos 261-246 BC.
Tetradrachm AR

28 mm, 16,31 g

Diademed head of Antiochos I right / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ, Apollo Delphios seated to left on omphalos, testing arrow with right hand and resting left hand on grounded bow; monograms to outer left and right.

Good Very Fine

SC 379.6; HGC 9, 128g.

Antiochus II Theos, reigning from 261 to 246 BC in the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, ascended to power unexpectedly after his father's execution of his elder brother. Persistent tensions with Ptolemaic Egypt led him to initiate the Second Syrian War, achieving some gains in Asia Minor. However, the conflict did not significantly alter the power dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 253 BC, facing rebellions, Antiochus II made peace with Ptolemy II, divorcing his first wife Laodice and marrying Ptolemy II's daughter Berenice, with an agreement that their offspring would inherit the Seleucid throne. Despite the settlement, Laodice, although divorced, remained influential and continued political intrigues. In 246 BC, Antiochus II left Berenice and their son in Antioch to reunite with Laodice in Asia Minor, where he suddenly died. His death triggered a succession struggle, known as the Third Syrian War, resulting in disastrous consequences for the Seleucid empire. Antiochus II's limited involvement in the eastern Upper Satrapies allowed the emergence of independent realms like the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Parthian Empire. The decline in his coinage in Bactria has been seen as a potential factor contributing to the gradual weakening of ties with the central government during his reign.