Seleucid Kingdom, Demetrios II Nikator AR Tetradrachm, Antioch, 129–125 BC

Demetrios II Nikator, tetradrachm, silver; reign 129–125 BC; struck 129–125 BC at Antioch on the Orontes; 15.53 g; 28 mm. Obv: Anepigraphic; diademed and bearded bust of Demetrios II right; border of dots. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΝΙΚΑΤΟΡΟΣ; Zeus Nikephoros seated left on throne, holding Nike in right hand and long scepter in left; control monograms in the fields and exergue; dotted border. Struck on a broad flan with centered types and legible legend; control marks clear. References: CSE 802; LSM 4; SC 2202. Issued during Demetrios II’s brief restoration after release from Parthian captivity, this Antioch tetradrachm represents the reassertion of Seleucid authority in Syria following the death of Antiochos VII in 129 BC. The Zeus Nikephoros type and the titulature “Theou Nikatoros” broadcast divine sanction and victorious claims as the kingdom contracted to its Syrian core; his rule ended in 125 BC amid internal dynastic conflict.