Antiochos VIII Grypus, Seleucid King ; Antiochos XIII Philometor, Seleucid King

Antioch

1 Mina

Metal: Lead

Cast

Square

10.30 cm

10.20 cm

1.10 cm

Mass (g)	Mass (grain)	Date of measurement	Reference	fragmented	cleaned	reference weight
657.20	-	-	Tekin 2025	No	No	Yes

Symbol	Technique	Direction	Position	Number	Synecdoche
Anchor	Relief
Lattice pattern	Relief

Rostovtzeff 1941: Square lead weight. […] Anchor. Above: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ | ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ | ΦΙΛΟΜΗΤΟ|ΡΟΣ ΜΝΑ. Rev. Network. […] Antiochus VIII Grypus (125–95 B.C.). […] Found at Kurye (Koseir), now in the Museum of Antioch. 0.103–0.10.
IGLS III: Dr.: Ancre. Βασιλέως | Ἀντιόχου | Φιλομήτο|ρος μνᾶ. R.: quadrillé. […] Antiochos VIII Grypos (125–95 av. J.-C.). […] Exemplaire au Musée d’Antioche, provenant de Qoseir (= Kurye), mesurant 0,10 m. de côté.
Archives Seyrig (HS 325): Poids carré. 105 mm. Bordure saillante simple, striée sur la face extérieure. Ancre. Βασιλέως | Ἀντιόχου | Φιλομήτο|ρος μνᾶ. Revers losangé.
Tekin 2025: Lead weight, square, mna, 657.2 g, 102 x 103 x 11 mm. Museum inv. no. 8674. Purchased in 1937 (fig. 1). The weight is square in form with raised edges and slightly rounded corners. There is a lozenge pattern on the bottom. As evident from the inscription on the top, the unit is mna. In the center, there is an anchor in relief.3 It can be said that the anchor used both on coins and weights had the significance of the state emblem (episemon) of the Seleucids. There can be several different depictions of anchors used on Seleucid coins and weights. The one on the curent example is one of the commonly used types. Sometimes it was used as a main type, and sometimes as a symbol or secondary type alongside the main type. Seleucid anchors are generally depicted upside down; therefore, the crown part is at the top. The description here will be made, as it should be, taking into account that the crown part is at the bottom: At the bottom of the anchor, there are two arms on each side forming a half-circle (crown). Rising upwards from the narrow and elongated shank, there are three horizontal elements (stocks) - two short ones on the sides and a slightly longer one in the middle. These stocks would allow the anchor to hit the bottom at a right angle. There is also a short horizontal element at the bottom, located at the central end of the crown part. Both the last horizontal element of the shank and the short stock below the crown have rings. There is a suspension hole near the center of the anchor’s arms. On both sides of the anchor, there are two vertical lines of inscription, also in relief: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ| ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ | ΦΙΛ[Ο]ΜΗΤ[Ο]|ΡΟΣ ΜΝΑ. — Βασιλέως | Ἀντιόχου | Φιλ[ο]μήτ[ο]|ρος μνᾶ. — Of the King Antiochus Philometor, mna.

No

Language	Technique	Legend type
Greek	Relief	Authority, Denomination

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ
ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ

ΦΙΛ . .ΗΤ .
ΡΟΣ   ΜΝΑ

Βασιλέως | Ἀντιόχου | Φιλο̣μ̣ήτ̣[ο]|ρος μνᾶ.

GREEK

FROM -121 TO -96

Reign of Antiochus VIII Grypus (121–97 BCE).
Weiß and Ehling 2007: either Antiochus VIII (125–98/7 BCE) or another Antiochus Philometor, son of Cleopatra V Selene (92 BCE). Arguments for Antiochus VIII: typology (neither date nor name of an agoranomos on the obverse; lattice of the reverse), and the greater possibility of having conserved two weights of a 25-year reign rather than a 1-year reign. Arguments against Antiochus VIII: the use of the epithet Philometor rather than his main epithet Epiphanes. According to Weiß, the king is Antiochus VIII; according to Ehling, he is Antiochus Philometor, son of Cleopatra V Selene.
Finkielsztejn 2012: Si Antiochos VIII a initié la pratique des poids “royaux”, suivi par son (Séleucos VI assuré) ou ses fils (avec Démétrios III, non assuré), c’est lui qui est nommé ici. L’autre possibilité, choisie par les éditeurs, est Antiochos XIII (69–67 puis 65–64 a.C.), qui aurait pu poursuivre la pratique, elle-même utilisée par son père, Antiochos X (assuré par la date et l’épithète, ci-dessus). Le poids de la mine n’est pas déterminant car, pour Antiochos VIII, nous sommes à la charnière entre les IIe et Ier s. a.C., quand une mine lourde est déjà utilisée.

Name	Date of acquisition	Inventory number
Hatay Archaeology Museum	Nov. 20, 1937	8674

Reference	Page/Column	Reference (number)	Plate / Figure	Comment
Rostovtzeff 1941	452	3	None	None
IGLS III	584	1071c	None	None
Seyrig (archives) [Paris]	None	HS 325	None	None
Weiß and Ehling 2007	496–499	None	None	None
Gatier 2014	141–147	None	None	None
Smirnov 2022	142–151	11	None	None
Tekin 2025a	129–132	1	fig. 1	None

A picture is available in Seyrig’s archives (HS 325).