Philip II, as Caesar, 244-247, Tetradrachm

Philip II (Caesar, AD 244–247), AR Tetradrachm, Antioch, AD 247; 12.73 g; 26 mm. Obverse: ΜΑΡ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟϹ ΚΕϹΑΡ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip II right. Reverse: ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥϹΙΑϹ ΥΠΑ ΤΟ Γ; eagle standing facing, head left, wreath in beak; S C between legs; ΑΝΤΙΟΧΙΑ in exergue. Struck on a broad flan to the Syrian tetradrachm standard, with fabric and iconography characteristic of the Antioch mint. RPC VIII, — (unassigned; ID 29022).

Issued while Philip II served as Caesar under Philip I, this Antiochene tetradrachm belongs to the principal silver currency of Roman Syria. The reverse titulature includes ΥΠΑ ΤΟ Γ (COS III), referring to the ruling emperor’s third consulship and dating the issue to AD 247; the Greek legends, eagle reverse, and explicit mint name ΑΝΤΙΟΧΙΑ reflect local provincial practice, while the S C between the eagle’s legs is a standard feature of Antioch’s tetradrachm series.