Antiochos I Soter AR Tetradrachm, Seleucia on Tigris, Apollo on Omphalos

Antiochos I Soter, tetradrachm, silver, reign 281–261 BC, struck 281–261 BC at Seleucia on the Tigris; 16.01 g; 28 mm. Anepigraphic obverse with diademed head of Antiochos I right. Reverse with legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ; Apollo seated left on the omphalos, holding an arrow and resting left hand on a bow. Struck on the Attic standard for the Seleucid Empire. Reference: SNG Spear 290. Historical significance: Antiochos I, son of Seleukos I, consolidated the Seleucid Empire after 281 BC and earned the epithet Soter (“Savior”) following victories over the Galatians in Asia Minor. The Apollo-on-omphalos reverse, a dynastic type adopted from Seleukos I, signaled continuity and divine sanction through Delphi. Seleucia on the Tigris, the principal eastern capital and mint, produced large issues of Attic-standard tetradrachms for military finance and long-distance trade across the empire.