After Alexander's death, Seleucus I and successors struck Hellenistic tetradrachms across Persian mints — Susa, Ecbatana, Persepolis, Seleucia-on-the-Tigris.
Seleucid coins are the Greek-style silver tetradrachms, drachms and bronzes struck across Iran and Mesopotamia by the successors of Seleucus I between 312 and roughly 141 BCE — royal portrait on the obverse, a seated Apollo or Zeus on the reverse, and Greek legends naming the king as BASILEOS.
| Period | 312 BCE – c. 141 BCE in Iran |
|---|---|
| Standard coin | Attic-weight silver tetradrachm, ~17 g |
| Obverse | Diademed royal portrait right |
| Reverse | Apollo on omphalos, Zeus enthroned, or Tyche |
| Main eastern mints | Seleucia on the Tigris, Ecbatana, Susa, Antioch |
| Dating | Seleucid era, from autumn 312 BCE |
Seleucus I, one of Alexander's generals, took the eastern half of the conquered empire and kept Alexander's monetary machinery: the Attic weight standard, Greek legends and portrait coinage. For the first time the Iranian plateau used money that showed a human ruler's face — a decisive break from the anonymous archer of the daric.
The system was deliberately uniform. A tetradrachm struck at Ecbatana was interchangeable with one from Antioch, which is precisely what a kingdom stretching from the Aegean to Bactria needed. Bronze denominations handled local markets and are far more common as site finds than the silver.
The obverse gives a diademed portrait, usually facing right, of the reigning king — Seleucus I, Antiochus I with his distinctive angular features, Antiochus III with a hard realistic profile, Antiochus IV with a radiate crown claiming divinity.
The reverse legend runs vertically in two lines: BASILEOS (of King) and the royal name in the genitive, often with an epithet such as MEGALOU (the Great) or EPIPHANOUS (God Manifest). Monograms and control marks in the field identify the mint and the issuing magistrate, and are the key to attribution.
Seleucia on the Tigris was the great eastern mint and the administrative heart of the kingdom, founded as a deliberate replacement for Babylon. Ecbatana (Hamadan) served the Iranian highlands, Susa the southwest, and Persepolis-area workshops issued locally.
From about 250 BCE the empire begins to lose the east — Bactria goes first, then Parthia. By 141 BCE Mithridates I of Parthia has taken Seleucia, and Seleucid coinage in Iran ends. Parthian tetradrachms deliberately copy Seleucid design conventions, which is why the two series are so often confused.
Common bronzes are inexpensive and are the natural entry point. Silver drachms of the major kings are affordable in worn grade; well-centred tetradrachms with strong portraits, and issues of the eastern mints, carry real premiums.
Two cautions dominate the market. First, tooled and smoothed portraits: any surface that looks unnaturally sharp against a corroded field deserves scrutiny. Second, modern struck copies of Antiochus IV and Antiochus III tetradrachms, which usually betray themselves on weight (a genuine Attic tetradrachm is close to 16.8–17.2 g) or on a die axis that does not match published examples.
Seleucid coinage introduced Greek weight standards (Attic tetradrachm ~17 g) and royal portraiture to the Iranian world.
Local types blended Greek deities with Persian symbols: Apollo on the omphalos, anchor monograms, and occasionally local satrapal motifs.
Antiochos I Soter (Seleucid)
ObverseDiademed bust of the king.
ReverseApollo seated on omphalos; anchor monogram.
Anchor symbol referenced the Seleucid dynasty's founding legend.
Antiochus III
ObverseDiademed bust right.
ReverseApollo seated on omphalos.
Struck in massive quantities to fund eastern campaigns.
Diodotus I (Greco-Bactrian)
ObverseDiademed head of the king right.
ReverseZeus advancing left hurling thunderbolt; Greek legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΟΔΟΤΟΥ.
Diodotus broke from the Seleucids to found the Greco-Bactrian kingdom — Hellenistic coinage striking deep into eastern Iran.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes
ObverseDiademed and radiate head of Antiochus IV right — explicit deification (the epithet 'Epiphanes' meaning 'God Manifest').
ReverseZeus Nikephoros enthroned left, holding Nike and sceptre; legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ.
The most ambitious Seleucid king after Antiochus III — his eastern campaigns took him deep into Iran where he died in 164 BCE near Tabae in Persis. His coinage is the high-water mark of Seleucid royal portraiture.
Antiochus VII Sidetes
ObverseDiademed bust of the king right.
ReverseAthena Nikephoros standing left; mint monogram.
Last Seleucid push east — Antiochus VII briefly recaptured Media from the Parthians in 130 BCE before dying in battle at Ecbatana, ending Seleucid presence on the Iranian plateau.
Euthydemus I
ObverseRealistic diademed portrait — among the finest of Hellenistic Asia.
ReverseHerakles seated on rock, holding club; legend ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΕΥΘΥΔΗΜΟΥ.
Withstood a three-year siege by Antiochus III at Bactra. His coinage is the high-water mark of Greco-Bactrian portrait engraving. Image: related Diodotid Bactrian tetradrachm.