Nomos 2

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Seleukos I Nikator. 312-281 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 17.23 g 1), Susa, circa 304-298/7. Bust of Alexander the Great as Dionysos to right, wearing Attic helmet adorned with a leopard skin and a bull’s horn and ear (a second bull’s horn can be seen coming out from the far side of his head) and with lowered ear guards, and with a leopard’s skin over his shoulders and knotted around his neck. Rev. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΣΕΛΕΥΚΟΥ Nike standing right, placing wreath on top of a trophy of arms to her right; below left, ΒΕ; between Nike and trophy, Boeotian shield; to right, monogram of ΠΡΥ. Kritt, ESMS Tr. 1-3 var. (obverse die A1, reverse -). SC 173.1. Rare. Struck from the first and most elaborate obverse die in the series. Lightly toned. A few minor marks and areas of flatness, otherwise, extremely fine.

The Trophy series began in Susa c. 304 and lasted for about seven years, using up 67 obverse dies and at least 93 reverses: it commemorated the victories of Seleukos I in India. What is especially interesting about this coin is that the remarkably fine condition of its obverse makes it clear that this was the prototype die for the entire series. The elaborate helmet that Alexander wears is covered by a leopard skin, which, unlike that on all the other dies of this series, is almost totally covered in spots made in the shape of almonds. Perhaps doing this took too much effort on the part of the die cutter, or the official in charge found it not to his taste, because, beginning with the second obverse die in the series this tapestry of spots was replaced by much more regular lines of larger spots, which look a little like cowrie shells and were surely easier to engrave.