EECREATIYE SCIENCE. 



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illustrative series together economically, may- 

 avoid these, when rare, and consequently ex- 

 pensive, and put up with a silver coin of 

 smaller dimensions, or even with a copper 

 one— copper coins of some of the reigns 

 being plentiful, and of good execution. The 

 following is a brief outline of the origin of 

 the dynasty, and of the general character of 

 the coins of each reign. 



The death of Alexander the Great took 

 place in 323 B.C., soon after his total sub- 

 jection of the whole of Western and Central 

 Asia. The vast empire had been divided 

 by the conqueror (after the oriental manner) 

 into satrapies, over which those Macedonian 

 commanders who had most distinguished 

 themselves in the conquest, were appointed 

 the respective governors. The death of 

 Alexander was no sooner known in the 

 different provinces of the vast empire, than, 

 as if by a given signal, there began a general 

 struggle for the supreme power. Philip Arrhi- 

 dseus, Alexander's half-brother, who was ap- 

 pointed regent during the minority of Alex- 

 ander's infant son by the celebrated Eoxana, 

 was utterly unequal to the diiEculties of the 

 position, and a general war ensued, in which 

 much of the best blood of Greece and Mace- 

 donia was spilt. The subjection of the Asiatic 

 races was, however, so complete, that no at- 

 tempt to resume their independence was at- 

 tempted ; so that, eventually, the empire was 

 divided (for a time) mainly between four of 

 the most successful of the combatants — 

 Lysimachus obtaining a large region, em- 

 bracing Thrace and the adjoining provinces, 

 Cassandra Macedonia, Ptolemy the noble 

 province of Egypt, and Seleucus the whole 

 of Central Asia, including Babylonia Proper, 

 Assyria, Bactria, to the confines of India, 

 and westward, the whole of Syria to the 

 coasts of the Mediterranean and the frontiers 

 of Egypt. Two only of the chiefs who thus 

 succeeded in conquering a throne became the 

 founders of permanent dynasties — Ptolemy 

 in Egypt, and Seleucus iu S^ria. §eleu- 



cus I., surnamed Nicanor (the victorious), 

 no sooner felt himself firmly established, 

 than he founded several cities, to form the 

 principal centres of his far-extending do- 

 minions. Of these Antiochia (Antioch) was 

 intended to be the metropolitan, as being near 

 to the Mediterranean, and therefore in a posi- 

 tion to command ready communication with 

 Europe and with Egypt, Babylon being 

 deserted as too remote for the seat of a 

 dominant power whose main support and 

 prestige was drawn from Europe. It was as 

 the ruler of the ancient kingdom and capital 

 of Babylonia, however, that Seleucus founded 

 his claims as ruler of the vast regions of the 

 East, for the possession of Babylon gave to 

 his power an air of stability among his Asiatic 

 subjects. It was, doubtless, to aid this feeling 

 that he caused coins to be struck, on which 

 the chief characteristics of the great symbolic 

 winged bulls of the ancient palaces of the 

 kings of Babylon (still perfect in the time of 

 Seleucus) were introduced. This, probably, 

 took place when he formally assumed the 

 regal title — about the year 312 B.C. On 

 these coins, which are very rare, only four 

 or five specimens being known, the new king 

 of the East is represented wearing a helmet, 

 on which the horns and wings of the Baby- 

 lonian bulls form the chief ornament. The 

 human-headed bull, as a symbol of Babylonian 

 sovereignty, is thus symbolized in the device 

 of the obverse of the coin engraved below, 

 the head being, in all probability, an idealized 

 portrait of Seleucus. It was at this period, 

 as is well known, that princes first ventured 

 to place their portraits on the public coinage 

 of the state, only the images of the gods or 

 the device of the national signet — generally 

 consisting of some object sacred to the gods 

 — having up to that period been used upon 

 national money. Alexander was the first 

 who, in the character of " Hercules " — from 

 whom he claimed descent — caused his own 

 features to be imitated in the representation 

 of this mythological deity j but did not at- 



