Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying King Antiochus III The Great

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

223-187 BCE

Greek; probably minted in Antioch (near modern Antakya, Turkey)

The Hellenistic period spans the nearly three hundred years between the death of Alexander the Great of Macedonia (323 BC) and that of Cleopatra VII of Egypt (30 BC), a descendant of one of Alexander’s generals. The term Hellenistic is derived from Hellas, an ancient Greek word for Greece. It is used to describe both chronologically and culturally the era following Alexander’s conquest of Egypt and Asia, which resulted in the spread of Greek culture across a vast area. The melding of local and Greek artistic styles with the luxurious materials captured in the conquered lands resulted in magnificent artwork, including elegant coinage.

Following Alexander’s death, his empire was divided among his generals, who established independent kingdoms in Egypt; Persia; the eastern coast of the Aegean Sea, including Syria and Palestine; Greece and Macedonia; and Thrace. Almost immediately the generals began to covet each other’s land and power.

Like his predecessors, Antiochos III (reigned 223–187 BC) spent his reign trying to fold stray territories back into the original Seleucid empire. His efforts pitted him against other descendants of Alexander’s generals.
Antiochos was so preoccupied with his territorial squabbles that he overlooked the new regional power—Rome.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Artist: Ancient Greek
Title: Tetradrachm (Coin) Portraying King Antiochus III The Great
Place: Ancient Near East (Minted in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 223 BCE–187 BCE
Medium: Silver
Dimensions: Diam.: 2.9 cm (1 3/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of William F. Dunham
Reference Number: 1920.727
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/141567/manifest.json

William F. Dunham (1857-1936), Chicago; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1920.

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