Seleukos I Nikator, tetradrachm, silver, reign 305-281 BC, minted 300-281

Seleukos I Nikator, tetradrachm, silver, reign 305-281 BC, minted 300-281 BC, weight 17.1 g, diameter 27 mm. Obverse: Head of Heracles facing right, wearing lion skin headdress. Reverse: Zeus Aetophoros seated left on a backless throne, holding a long scepter in left hand and an eagle in right hand; legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ; control marks in field. Strike is centered with details evenly struck. Toning is light with minor surface deposits. References: SC 117/1c; CSE 941. Mint: Seleucia on the Tigris. This coin type was issued under Seleukos I Nikator, founder of the Seleucid Empire following the partition of Alexander the Great’s empire. The tetradrachm denomination in silver was the standard large trade coinage in Hellenistic territories, facilitating payments across the empire’s diverse regions. The obverse portrait of Heracles continued the iconography used under Alexander, symbolizing dynastic continuity and legitimacy. Zeus Aetophoros on the reverse reinforced the association with divine authority and the ruler’s control over the empire. Issues from Seleucia on the Tigris represented an important early phase of Seleukid coinage, centralizing production in the newly founded capital and distributing currency along key trade routes through Mesopotamia.