Antiochos VI, Serrate AE, bronze, reign 145-142 BC, minted 143-142 BC

Antiochos VI, Serrate AE, bronze, reign 145-142 BC, minted 143-142 BC, weight 15.02 g, diameter 26 mm. Obverse: radiate head of Antiochos VI right, wearing ivy wreath; legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ around. Reverse: elephant walking left; cornucopia in right field; no legend in exergue. Strike: serrated flan, hammered, generally well-centered with full borders visible. Toning: medium to dark brown with lighter high points from circulation. References: SC 2006; HGC 9, 1043. This coin was produced at Antioch on the Orontes during the brief reign of Antiochos VI, a child king installed by the Seleucid general Diodotos Tryphon amid dynastic civil war. Serrated bronze pieces were distinctive to late Seleucid civic issues, possibly intended to deter forgeries or to aid striking. The radiate, ivy-wreathed portrait follows Hellenistic royal imagery that emphasized youthful vigor and divine favor. The elephant on the reverse recalls Seleucid use of Indian war elephants from earlier eastern campaigns and serves as a military emblem of strength, while the cornucopia underscores the monarchy’s claim to provide prosperity. Despite Antiochos VI’s nominal rule ending with his death in 142 BC, these bronzes continued to circulate widely within Syria, illustrating both the persistence of Seleucid monetary types and the political fragmentation of the period.