Tetradrachm: Head of Antiochos V (obverse); Zeus (reverse) (164–162 BCE): Art, History and Details

Tetradrachm: Head of Antiochos V (obverse); Zeus (reverse) (164–162 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Tetradrachm: Head of Antiochos V (obverse); Zeus (reverse)
• Date: 164–162 BCE
• Culture: Greek, Seleukid, minted at Antioch (Syria), reign of Antiochos V
• Type: Coins
• Technique: silver
• Dimensions: Diameter: 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in.)
• Collection: GR - Greek
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 1916.975

A detail from the museum

Antiochos V’s boyish portrait reflects his accession to the Seleucid throne at 9 years of age.

Collection credit

Gift of J. H. Wade

Further reading listed by the museum

• Pevnick, Seth. "Ancient Artworks Echo the Origins of the Olympic Games," Medium (July 2021).

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.