Extremely Rare Timarchos Drachm

196, Lot: 55. Estimate $500. Sold for $1500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SELEUKID KINGS of SYRIA. Timarchos. Usurper, 164-161 BC. AR Drachm (17mm, 3.81 g, 5h). Ekbatana mint. 1st issue. Diademed head right / Apollo Delphios seated left, holding arrow, resting on bow. SC 1590 (this coin referenced); Houghton 1230 (this coin). VF, find patina, light cleaning marks on obverse, some roughness. Extremely rare.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group 75 (23 May 2007), lot 467; Arthur Houghton Collection, 1230.

Timarchos was a close adherent of Antiochos IV, who appointed him as the Seleucid ambassador to Rome, and later as satrap of Media (or Babylonia). His brother, Herakleidas, was also an associate of the king, who appointed him as royal treasurer. Upon the death of Antiochos IV, his nephew, Demetrios (I), who was a hostage at Rome, appealed to the Romans to be made the new king. The Romans, however, looked for a weaker ruler, and supported the accession of Antiochos' child, Antiochos V. Demetrios soon escaped from Rome, and recruited a powerful army to back his bid for the Seleucid throne. Upon entering Syria, Demetrios easily took control, ordering the death of the young king, and removed Herakleidas from his position. One may assume Timarchos was also slated for removal. In late 162 or 161, Timarchos appealed to the Romans for help, and they recognized him as king (though likely only over an independent Media). He quickly consolidated his rule in Media, and took the title Great King, apparently appealing to the sentiments of the native Persians to support his rule. Soon Timarchos had an army to challenge Demetrios, and he took control of Seleucia on the Tigris. Nonetheless, Demetrios' support was too strong, and Timarchos was defeated and killed in battle, probably somewhere near Babylon.

Although previous research had suggested his power base was Babylon, more recent discoveries, including the numismatic evidence, supports the contention that Ekbatana was his capital. The numismatic evidence also suggests that Timarchos may have begun his revolt during the reign of Antiochos V, perhaps recognizing that the Romans' candidate would obviously be unable to keep control of the kingdom while threats abounded on many fronts. For instance, a number of threats abounded on the periphery of the kingdom, especially the ascendant Parthian kingdom of Mithridates I, to the east.

This particular drachm is currently the only known drachm from the first issue of Timarchos at Ekbatana, which continued to use the traditional Apollo reverse of his predecessors. Soon, though, Timarchos' coinage employed a novel reverse type of Artemis, whose significance to his rule is as yet unknown today. All of the Ekbatana drachms with Artemis are known from the Susa excavations, and are in museums today. Other drachms are known, but are probably from uncertain mints used when Timarchos was on campaign (see SC). After Demetrios defeated the usurper, he ordered the recall and restriking of all Timarchos' coinage, which accounts for its high rarity today.