Seleukos IV Philopator, tetradrachm, silver, reign 187-175 BC, struck

Seleukos IV Philopator, tetradrachm, silver, reign 187-175 BC, struck 187-175 BC, weight 16.75 g, diameter 29 mm. Obverse: diademed head of Seleukos IV right; legend BASILEOS SELEUKOU. Reverse: Apollo seated left on omphalos, holding arrow in right hand and resting left hand on grounded bow; filleted palm frond over aphlaston in left field; monogram in exergue. Strike: centered on broad flan with full borders. Toning: light grey with scattered golden hues. References: SC 1313.3; Houghton & Lorber, Seleucid Coins. Seleukos IV governed the Seleucid Empire immediately after the Treaty of Apamea, a period marked by substantial indemnity payments to Rome and the loss of most Anatolian territories. His silver tetradrachms, struck primarily at Antioch on the Orontes, adhered to the reduced post-Apamea standard while retaining long-standing dynastic imagery of Apollo on the omphalos first employed by Seleukos I. The control marks, such as the filleted palm and aphlaston, identified specific production batches and mint officials for fiscal accountability. These coins circulated throughout Syria, Phoenicia, and the eastern Aegean, financing royal administration and garrison expenses during a reign characterized by limited expansion and growing internal pressures.