Pages:  291-307 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp243291307

The paper analyses the iconography and archaeology of the Seleucid ‘Nike crowning trophy’ coin type. This coin type features a deified male portrait (referred to as the ‘person wearing helmet’) on the obverse and Nike, crowning a trophy, on the reverse. It was minted for a brief period in the late 4th century BC at the Susa mint. Despite being locally circulated with a relatively limited volume of issues, this motif significantly contributed to the visual representation of the royal power of Seleucus. One of the main challenges in interpreting this coin type is identifying the helmeted head. The helmet of the ‘unknown’ figure is of significant interest due to numerous direct and indirect parallels in iconography and archaeological finds. Similar helmets are depicted on tomb sculptures and reliefs from Macedonia, Asia Minor, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Special attention deserves the decoration of the helmet surface, such as the leopard skin spots, which is in agreement with the painted and textile-covered armor of this time. Considering the symbolism and semantics of this character’s image, it is preferable to define him as an idealized representation of King Seleucus, incorporating features of Dionysus, Heracles, and Alexander —four conquerors of India and the East in general.

Keywords: Seleucids, Hellenism, numismatics, archaeology, iconography, helmet, armour

Information about authors:

Anton Dedyulkin (Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Southern Federal University. Bolshaya Sadovaya St., 105/42, Rostov-on-Don, 344006, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0003-0100-8007
Svyatoslav Smirnov (Moscow, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences. Leninsky Ave. 32A, 1501, Moscow, 119334. Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-9205-9493