Body: | Seleucid Empire Coins: 321-64BC
GREEK EMPIRE COIN PAGES (333-31 BC)
Macedonian Coins
333-302 BC
Ptolemaic Coins
323-31 BC
Seleucid Coins
321-64 BC
Maccabean Coins
166-37 BC
Introduction:
Alexander the Great conquers the world in a stunning and unique
series of victories:
In 334 BC Alexander the Great defeats Darius III in the Battle of
Granicus
In 333 BC Alexander the Great defeats Darius III in Battle of Issus
In 323 BC Alexander the Great dies at age 32 on June 10: The Great
broken horn of Daniel. After Alexander the Great died, his kingdom split
into four kingdoms just as Daniel had prophesied:
"After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then
another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth."
(Daniel 2:39)
"After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard,
which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads,
and dominion was given to it." (Daniel 7:6)
Four horns of Dan 8:8; 11:3-4
"Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he
was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four
conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven." (Daniel 8:8)
""And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great
authority and do as he pleases. "But as soon as he has arisen, his
kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the
compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority
which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others
besides them." (Daniel 11:3-4)
Four "horns" empires after Alexander the Great:
Ptolemy Empire (323-31 BC)
Area of modern Egypt
Ptolemy Empire Ends when Rome conquers Egypt in 31 BC
Antony/Cleopatra commit suicide 30 extincting the Ptolemy empire.
Seleucid Empire (321-64 BC)
Area of Modern Israel, Syria, Turkey
Cassander (319-168 BC)
Area of Modern Greece.
Cassander founds Thessalonica 315 BC
Rome conquered Greece in battle of Pydna in 168 AD)
Lysimachus (323-133 BC)
Area of modern Asia Minor.
King Attalus III bequeathed Asia Minor to Rome in 133 BC
I. List of Seleucid Empire kings and rulers: 321-64 BC
Seleucus I Nicator 321-281 BC
flees to Egypt 316 BC
returns to Babylon 312 BC
becomes king of Babylon 305 BC
becomes king of Syria, Asia 301 BC after winning battle of Ipsus
Founds Antioch 300 BC
Antiochus I Soter 281-261 BC
Antiochus II Theos 261-246 BC
Commissions the Septuagint version that translated the Hebrew Old
Testament into Greek.
Seleucus II Callinicus 246-226 BC
Seleucus III Soter 226-223 BC
Antiochus III The Great 223-187 BC
Seleucus IV Philopator 187-175 BC
Antiochus IV Epiphanes 175-163 BC
Antiochus IV desecrates Temple 167 BC
Antiochus V Eupator 163-162 BC
Demetrius I Soter 162-150 BC
Alexander I Balas (usurper) 150-145 BC
Demetrius II Nicator Soter 145-140 BC
Antiochus VII Sidetes 139-129 BC
Demetrius II Nicator Soter 129-125 BC
Antiochus VIII Grypus 125-96 BC
Rapid, unstable succession of rulers 96-83
Seleucus VI Epiphanes Nicator
Antiochus X Eusebes
Antiochus XI
Antiochus XI,
Demetrius III Eucerus
Philip
Tigranes of Armenia Conquers Syria 83-69 BC
Roman general Pompey the Great Annexes Syria extincting the Seleucid
empire in 64 BC
II. Denominations of Seleucid coinage and money:
TYPE
(Brian Kritt's term
Used in Seleucid Coins, SCI & SCII)
Average Specifications
Edward T. Newell's term
(Obsolete system)
AA
25-33 mm., 20.0-27.99 gm.
Octuple
A
22-28 mm., 11.0-16.99 gm.
Triple, quadruple
B
17-22 mm., 5.49-8.49 gm.
Double
C
15-21 mm., 3.0-5.49 gm.
Unit
D
12-14 mm., 1.49-2.99 gm.
Half
E
8-11 mm., 0.6-1.00 gm.
Quarter
Seleucid Coins (SCI & II), Arthur Houghton, Catharine Lorber, Part 1, p4, 2002 AD
We have followed "Seleucid Coins" (SCI & II, 2002 AD), Arthur
Houghton and Catharine Lorber in referring to various denominations of
Seleucid coins.
For example if a coin falls within both the diameter and weight
ranges for a single denomination we will refer to the coin type as: "Type
E".
Notice this new system developed by Brian Kritt moves away from the
chalkous as the base unit and adopts the generic alphabetic letters in its
place.
"The accompanying metrological tables were prepared by Brian Kritt,
who generously volunteered to analyze Seleucid bronze weights for the major
mints by series, series being generally defined by the coin types. These
tables represent a uniquely valuable resource for the metrology of Seleucid
bronze coinage. Kritt's series-by-series approach avoids the principal
pitfall of earlier metrological studies, a reliance on sample populations."
However the tradeoff for increased specificity is smaller samples, in many
cases beneath the threshold for statistical significance. Kritt's tables
generally support Newell's intuition that Seleucid bronze coinage was based
on a series of doublings. The special virtue of these tables is that they
illustrate both the considerable fluctuation of weights from series to
series and also larger metrological drifts over time. They provide a
longitudinal overview that allows us to relate coins of such different
weights that they would, in isolation, be identified as separate
denominations. This effect is particularly apparent in the case of largish
bronzes in the range of 11-17 gm., which Newell usually called quadruples,
but sometimes tentatively identified as triples; in the context of the
charts these coins emerge as a single denomination. Though Newell's
terminology is convenient and deeply engrained, its metrological
implications remain problematic. Newell's unit inevitably evokes the
fundamental unit of reckoning, i.e. the chalkous. But as we have seen,
recent studies of Greek bronze coinage raise the possibility that the early
Seleucid chalkous was a smaller coin than Newell's unit; while second
century marks of value establish at least one change in the weight of the
chalkous (at Ecbatana). Another problem with Newell's proposed
denominational system, noted above, is that the octuple does not appear to
stand in 2:1 metrological ratio with the quadruple. At Kritt's suggestion
we have adopted a neutral terminology, employing letters of the alphabet to
designate bronze denominations whose face values remain undetermined. For
the early Hellenistic period (from Seleucus I through Antiochus III) the
denominations most commonly produced include B, C, and D, with A and E
somewhat unusual, and AA an exceptional large bronze rarely produced except
at Ecbatana. The alphabetical terminology is intended to accommodate a wide
range of possible interpretations, including employment of the Attic system
through much or all of the Seleucid empire, changes in that system over
time, regional currency systems, and substantial autonomy of local mints."
(Seleucid Coins (SCI & II), Arthur Houghton, Catharine Lorber, Part 1, p3,
2002 AD)
III. Coins of the Seleucid Empire kings: 321-64 BC
Seleucus I Nicator 321-281 BC
flees to Egypt 316 BC
returns to Babylon 312 BC
becomes king of Babylon 305 BC
becomes king of Syria, Asia 301 BC after winning battle of Ipsus
Founds Antioch 300 BC
Antiochus I Soter 281-261 BC
Antiochus II Theos 261-246 BC
Commissions the Septuagint version that translated the Hebrew Old
Testament into Greek.
The city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.
Ptolemy I builds the famous Library of Alexandria in Egypt that
housed the most important Biblical manuscripts in the world.
Antiochus II commissions the Septuagint Manuscript of the Old
Testament to be translated from Hebrew into Greek in order to place it in
the Library of Alexandria.
The library of Alexandria was destroyed by Muslims under Caliph Omar
in 642 AD along with thousands of priceless Bible manuscripts.
The same destruction of libraries and historical museums is still happening today.
Detailed outline on Septuagint LXX
Seleucus II Callinicus 246-226 BC
Seleucus III Soter 226-223 BC
Antiochus III The Great 223-187 BC
Seleucus IV Philopator 187-175 BC
Antiochus IV Epiphanes 175-163 BC
In 167 BC Antiochus IV desecrates Jewish Temple as a place of pagan
worship.
Strangely, this suddenly offended the Jews whose fathers had allowed
all the pagan idol gods to co-exist in the temple of Solomon from 960 BC
down to its destruction in 587 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. Had the Jews living in
587 BC, been as equally offended during the 373 years where THEY desecrated
the Temple of Solomon themselves with pagan gods, as Maccabean Jews were in
167 BC, the temple of Solomon would have still been standing in 167 BC!
However we take note that the Jews finally gave up idol worship
after the return from the 70 year Babylonian captivity (605-536 BC).
Hasmonean/Maccabean rebellion and independence: 166-37:
166 BC The Revolt of Mattathias who dies the same year (166 BC): 1
Maccabees 1,2; 2 Maccabees 6; Jos Ant. 7:265-272
166-160 BC Judas Maccabeus leads the independence movement (1
Maccabees 3-4; Jos Ant. 7:287-292)
164 BC Jewish Temple liberated by Judas Maccabeus.
Origin of Hanukkah: In 164 BC the first Hanukkah celebrated the
liberation and rededication of the Jewish Temple. In Hebrew, the word
"Hanukkah" means "dedication." Hanukkah was celebrated in New Testament
times: Jn 10:22. It is very strange that Hanukkah is celebrated today by
all Jews since they are memorializing the dedication of a temple that
existed in 167 BC, that was replaced by Herod the Great in 18 BC and
destroyed by the Romans under Titus in 70 AD. It doesn't make much sense to
celebrate the dedication and liberation of a temple, which was first
obsoleted by Herod the Great in 18 BC when he built the new temple which
was in turn utterly destroyed without trace by the Romans in 70 AD.
Death of Antiochus IV: 1 Maccabees 6: "King Antiochus was going
through the upper provinces when he heard that Elymais in Persia was a city
famed for its wealth in silver and gold. Its temple was very rich,
containing golden shields, breastplates, and weapons left there by
Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian king who first reigned over the
Greeks. So he came and tried to take the city and plunder it, but he could
not because his plan had become known to the citizens and they withstood
him in battle. So he fled and in great disappointment left there to return
to Babylon. Then someone came to him in Persia and reported that the armies
that had gone into the land of Judah had been routed; that Lysias had gone
first with a strong force, but had turned and fled before the Jews; that
the Jews had grown strong from the arms, supplies, and abundant spoils that
they had taken from the armies they had cut down; that they had torn down
the abomination that he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem; and that
they had surrounded the sanctuary with high walls as before, and also
Beth-zur, his town. When the king heard this news, he was astounded and
badly shaken. He took to his bed and became sick from disappointment,
because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. He lay there
for many days, because deep disappointment continually gripped him, and he
realized that he was dying. So he called all his Friends and said to them,
"Sleep has departed from my eyes and I am downhearted with worry. I said
to myself, 'To what distress I have come! And into what a great flood I
now am plunged! For I was kind and beloved in my power.' But now I
remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem. I seized all its vessels of silver
and gold, and I sent to destroy the inhabitants of Judah without good
reason. I know that it is because of this that these misfortunes have come
upon me; here I am, perishing of bitter disappointment in a strange
land." Then he called for Philip, one of his Friends, and made him ruler
over all his kingdom. He gave him the crown and his robe and the signet, so
that he might guide his son Antiochus and bring him up to be king. Thus
King Antiochus died there in the one hundred forty-ninth year. When Lysias
learned that the king was dead, he set up Antiochus the king's son to
reign. Lysias had brought him up from boyhood; he named him Eupator." (1
Maccabees 6:1-17)
Antiochus V Eupator 163-162 BC
1 Maccabees 6:18-63: "Meanwhile the garrison in the citadel kept
hemming Israel in around the sanctuary. They were trying in every way to
harm them and strengthen the Gentiles. Judas therefore resolved to destroy
them, and assembled all the people to besiege them. They gathered together
and besieged the citadel in the one hundred fiftieth year; and he built
siege towers and other engines of war. But some of the garrison escaped
from the siege and some of the ungodly Israelites joined them. They went to
the king and said, "How long will you fail to do justice and to avenge
our kindred? We were happy to serve your father, to live by what he said,
and to follow his commands. For this reason the sons of our people besieged
the citadel and became hostile to us; moreover, they have put to death as
many of us as they have caught, and they have seized our inheritances. It
is not against us alone that they have stretched out their hands; they have
also attacked all the lands on their borders. And see, today they have
encamped against the citadel in Jerusalem to take it; they have fortified
both the sanctuary and Beth-zur; unless you quickly prevent them, they will
do still greater things, and you will not be able to stop them." The king
was enraged when he heard this. He assembled all his Friends, the
commanders of his forces and those in authority. Mercenary forces also came
to him from other kingdoms and from islands of the seas. The number of his
forces was one hundred thousand foot soldiers, twenty thousand horsemen,
and thirty-two elephants accustomed to war. They came through Idumea and
encamped against Beth-zur, and for many days they fought and built engines
of war; but the Jews sallied out and burned these with fire, and fought
courageously. Then Judas marched away from the citadel and encamped at
Beth-zechariah, opposite the camp of the king. Early in the morning the
king set out and took his army by a forced march along the road to
Beth-zechariah, and his troops made ready for battle and sounded their
trumpets. They offered the elephants the juice of grapes and mulberries, to
arouse them for battle. They distributed the animals among the phalanxes;
with each elephant they stationed a thousand men armed with coats of mail,
and with brass helmets on their heads; and five hundred picked horsemen
were assigned to each beast. These took their position beforehand wherever
the animal was; wherever it went, they went with it, and they never left
it. On the elephants were wooden towers, strong and covered; they were
fastened on each animal by special harness, and on each were four armed men
who fought from there, and also its Indian driver. The rest of the cavalry
were stationed on either side, on the two flanks of the army, to harass the
enemy while being themselves protected by the phalanxes. When the sun shone
on the shields of gold and brass, the hills were ablaze with them and
gleamed like flaming torches. Now a part of the king's army was spread
out on the high hills, and some troops were on the plain, and they advanced
steadily and in good order. All who heard the noise made by their
multitude, by the marching of the multitude and the clanking of their arms,
trembled, for the army was very large and strong. But Judas and his army
advanced to the battle, and six hundred of the king's army fell. Now
Eleazar, called Avaran, saw that one of the animals was equipped with royal
armor. It was taller than all the others, and he supposed that the king was
on it. So he gave his life to save his people and to win for himself an
everlasting name. He courageously ran into the midst of the phalanx to
reach it; he killed men right and left, and they parted before him on both
sides. He got under the elephant, stabbed it from beneath, and killed it;
but it fell to the ground upon him and he died. When the Jews saw the royal
might and the fierce attack of the forces, they turned away in flight. The
soldiers of the king's army went up to Jerusalem against them, and the
king encamped in Judea and at Mount Zion. He made peace with the people of
Beth-zur, and they evacuated the town because they had no provisions there
to withstand a siege, since it was a sabbatical year for the land. So the
king took Beth-zur and stationed a guard there to hold it. Then he encamped
before the sanctuary for many days. He set up siege towers, engines of war
to throw fire and stones, machines to shoot arrows, and catapults. The Jews
also made engines of war to match theirs, and fought for many days. But
they had no food in storage, because it was the seventh year; those who had
found safety in Judea from the Gentiles had consumed the last of the
stores. Only a few men were left in the sanctuary; the rest scattered to
their own homes, for the famine proved too much for them. Then Lysias heard
that Philip, whom King Antiochus while still living had appointed to bring
up his son Antiochus to be king, had returned from Persia and Media with
the forces that had gone with the king, and that he was trying to seize
control of the government. So he quickly gave orders to withdraw, and said
to the king, to the commanders of the forces, and to the troops, "Daily
we grow weaker, our food supply is scant, the place against which we are
fighting is strong, and the affairs of the kingdom press urgently on us.
Now then let us come to terms with these people, and make peace with them
and with all their nation. Let us agree to let them live by their laws as
they did before; for it was on account of their laws that we abolished that
they became angry and did all these things." The speech pleased the king
and the commanders, and he sent to the Jews an offer of peace, and they
accepted it. So the king and the commanders gave them their oath. On these
conditions the Jews evacuated the stronghold. But when the king entered
Mount Zion and saw what a strong fortress the place was, he broke the oath
he had sworn and gave orders to tear down the wall all around. Then he set
off in haste and returned to Antioch. He found Philip in control of the
city, but he fought against him, and took the city by force." (1 Maccabees
6:18-63)
Demetrius I Soter 162-150 BC
Alexander I Balas (usurper) 150-145 BC
Demetrius II Nicator Soter 145-140 BC
Antiochus VI Dionysus was the son of Nicator Soter but never ruled.
Antiochus VII Sidetes 139-129 BC
1 Maccabees 15:1-36: "Antiochus, son of King Demetrius, sent a
letter from the islands of the sea to Simon, the priest and ethnarch of the
Jews, and to all the nation; its contents were as follows: "King
Antiochus to Simon the high priest and ethnarch and to the nation of the
Jews, greetings. Whereas certain scoundrels have gained control of the
kingdom of our ancestors, and I intend to lay claim to the kingdom so that
I may restore it as it formerly was, and have recruited a host of mercenary
troops and have equipped warships, and intend to make a landing in the
country so that I may proceed against those who have destroyed our country
and those who have devastated many cities in my kingdom, now therefore I
confirm to you all the tax remissions that the kings before me have granted
you, and a release from all the other payments from which they have
released you. I permit you to mint your own coinage as money for your
country, and I grant freedom to Jerusalem and the sanctuary. All the
weapons that you have prepared and the strongholds that you have built and
now hold shall remain yours. Every debt you owe to the royal treasury and
any such future debts shall be canceled for you from henceforth and for all
time. When we gain control of our kingdom, we will bestow great honor on
you and your nation and the temple, so that your glory will become manifest
in all the earth." In the one hundred seventy-fourth year Antiochus set
out and invaded the land of his ancestors. All the troops rallied to him,
so that there were only a few with Trypho. Antiochus pursued him, and
Trypho came in his flight to Dor, which is by the sea; for he knew that
troubles had converged on him, and his troops had deserted him. So
Antiochus encamped against Dor, and with him were one hundred twenty
thousand warriors and eight thousand cavalry. He surrounded the town, and
the ships joined battle from the sea; he pressed the town hard from land
and sea, and permitted no one to leave or enter it. Then Numenius and his
companions arrived from Rome, with letters to the kings and countries, in
which the following was written: "Lucius, consul of the Romans, to King
Ptolemy, greetings. The envoys of the Jews have come to us as our friends
and allies to renew our ancient friendship and alliance. They had been sent
by the high priest Simon and by the Jewish people and have brought a gold
shield weighing one thousand minas. We therefore have decided to write to
the kings and countries that they should not seek their harm or make war
against them and their cities and their country, or make alliance with
those who war against them. And it has seemed good to us to accept the
shield from them. Therefore if any scoundrels have fled to you from their
country, hand them over to the high priest Simon, so that he may punish
them according to their law." The consul wrote the same thing to King
Demetrius and to Attalus and Ariarathes and Arsaces, and to all the
countries, and to Sampsames, and to the Spartans, and to Delos, and to
Myndos, and to Sicyon, and to Caria, and to Samos, and to Pamphylia, and to
Lycia, and to Halicarnassus, and to Rhodes, and to Phaselis, and to Cos,
and to Side, and to Aradus and Gortyna and Cnidus and Cyprus and Cyrene.
They also sent a copy of these things to the high priest Simon. King
Antiochus besieged Dor for the second time, continually throwing his forces
against it and making engines of war; and he shut Trypho up and kept him
from going out or in. And Simon sent to Antiochus two thousand picked
troops, to fight for him, and silver and gold and a large amount of
military equipment. But he refused to receive them, and broke all the
agreements he formerly had made with Simon, and became estranged from him.
He sent to him Athenobius, one of his Friends, to confer with him, saying,
"You hold control of Joppa and Gazara and the citadel in Jerusalem; they
are cities of my kingdom. You have devastated their territory, you have
done great damage in the land, and you have taken possession of many places
in my kingdom. Now then, hand over the cities that you have seized and the
tribute money of the places that you have conquered outside the borders of
Judea; or else pay me five hundred talents of silver for the destruction
that you have caused and five hundred talents more for the tribute money of
the cities. Otherwise we will come and make war on you." So Athenobius,
the king's Friend, came to Jerusalem, and when he saw the splendor of
Simon, and the sideboard with its gold and silver plate, and his great
magnificence, he was amazed. When he reported to him the king's message,
Simon said to him in reply: "We have neither taken foreign land nor
seized foreign property, but only the inheritance of our ancestors, which
at one time had been unjustly taken by our enemies. Now that we have the
opportunity, we are firmly holding the inheritance of our ancestors. As for
Joppa and Gazara, which you demand, they were causing great damage among
the people and to our land; for them we will give you one hundred
talents." Athenobius did not answer him a word, but returned in wrath to
the king and reported to him these words, and also the splendor of Simon
and all that he had seen. And the king was very angry." (1 Maccabees
15:1-36)
Demetrius II Nicator Soter 129-125 BC
Antiochus VIII Grypus 125-96 BC
Rapid, unstable succession of rulers 96-83
Seleucus VI Epiphanes Nicator
Antiochus X Eusebes
Antiochus XI
Antiochus XI,
Demetrius III Eucerus
Philip
Tigranes of Armenia Conquers Syria 83-69 BC
Roman general Pompey the Great Annexes Syria extincting the Seleucid
empire in 64 BC
Conclusion:
1. The Greek kingdom existed from 333 - 31 BC
2. Alexander the Great lived only ten years and ruled the world
as a sole monarch from 333-323 BC
3. The early Greek/Macedonian period is 333 - 302 BC as far as
classifying coins is concerned.
4. After Alexander the Great died, his kingdom was split into
four Kingdoms: (Four "horns" empires after Alexander the Great)
Ptolemy Empire (323-31 BC)
Seleucid Empire (321-64 BC)
Cassander (319-168 BC) We do not discuss this kingdom at all because
it is far removed from land of Judah.
Lysimachus (323-133 BC) We do not discuss this kingdom at all
because it is far removed from land of Judah.
For a short time during the Greek Empire period, the Jews gained
true independence under the Maccabees (Hasmonean Era): 166-37 BC
Rome conquered all by 31 BC and the fourth and final kingdom of
Daniel's prophecy (Dan 2) came into existence.
On Pentecost 33 AD, God set up his divine Kingdom which we know
today as the Church of Christ which will never come to an end:
"For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person
or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of
Christ and God." (Ephesians 5:5)
"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us
to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
Why not attend a local church that follows the pure Bible Blueprint
in your own home town! Click here to find one
GREEK EMPIRE COIN PAGES (333-31 BC)
Macedonian Coins
333-302 BC
Ptolemaic Coins
323-31 BC
Seleucid Coins
321-64 BC
Maccabean Coins
166-37 BC
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
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