This stunning Silver Tetradrachm Of King Demetrius I Soter is of one of the line of rulers of the Seleucid dynasty, founded in 312 BCE by a Macedonian successor of Alexander the Great. The son of King Seleucus IV Philopator (reigned 187 to 175 BCE), Demetrius was sent to Rome as a hostage during his father’s reign. While he was away, Syria came under the rule of his uncle, Antiochus IV Ephiphanes (d. 164 BCE), and then of his cousin, Antiochus V. Aided by the Greek statesman and historian Polybius, Demetrius escaped from Rome in 162 BCE and returned to Syria to claim the throne. He defeated the rebel general Timarchus and was recognized as king by the Roman Senate. In 160 BCE he crushed a Jewish rebellion in Palestine. Demetrius died while fighting the pretender Alexander Balas, who was supported by Rome, Egypt, and Pergamum.


The Seleucid Kingdom was established by Seleucus I, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, following the death of Alexander and the division of his empire. At its peak under Seleucus I and Antiochus I, the Seleucid Kingdom comprised almost the whole of the conquests of Alexander with the exception of Egypt. Antiochus II, also known as Antiochus Theos, was the son and successor of Antiochus I. He spent much of his reign at was with the Ptolemaic Kingdom, until his marriage to Ptolemy’s daughter Berenice sealed the peace. Most of the Syrian possessions his father had lost were restored to Antiochus; however, both Parthia and Bactria asserted their independence during this period. Upon his death, Antiochus’ son by an earlier marriage, Seleucus II, and his wife Berenice on behalf of her infant son struggled for the throne, igniting another long war with the Ptolemaic Egypt.