Silver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIII

Silver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIII

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hellenistic coins often featured the portrait of the ruler who issued them. The head on the obverse of this silver tetradrachm clearly depicts the Seleucid king Antiochus VIII, nicknamed "Grypus" (meaning hook-nose) because of his appearance. The legend on the coin identifies him as King Antiochus Epiphanes ("the Illustrious").

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Silver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIIISilver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIIISilver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIIISilver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIIISilver Tetradrachm of Antiochus VIII

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.