Antiochos II Theos, 261-246 BC, Tetradrachm

Antiochos II Theos, Tetradrachm, AR, 261–246 BC, 17.11 g, 28 mm.

Antioch on the Orontes mint. Obverse: Diademed head of Antiochos II right, border of dots. Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ; Apollo seated left on the omphalos, testing arrow in right hand, bow resting in left. Struck on the Attic standard at Antioch during the reign of Antiochos II. Reference: Houghton & Lorber, Seleucid Coins (SC) 571.4b. Antiochos II’s reign encompassed the Second Syrian War and shifting dynastic alliances with the Ptolemies, developments that shaped the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean. The Apollo-on-omphalos reverse, the principal Seleucid silver type at Antioch, emphasized the dynasty’s association with Apollo and became a hallmark of Seleucid royal coinage, facilitating fiscal administration and long-distance payments across the empire on the Attic weight standard.