Tetradrachm: Head of Antiochos V (obverse); Zeus (reverse)
Unknown Artist
164–162 BCE
Medium
silver
Dimensions
diam. 3.1 cm
Classification
Coins
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of J. H. Wade
Accession Number
1916.975
About this artwork
Thrust into power while still a child, Antiochos V used coinage to legitimize his tenuous control. On the obverse of this coin, Antiochos appears like many Hellenistic kings, with heavy hair curls and a diadem. On the reverse, a seated Zeus holds the goddess of victory, Nike, who crowns Antiochos’s name with a wreath, confirming his divine right to rule.