Many thanks, Oliver.

As you figured out, it was primarily the Dioscuroi tetradrachms I was
after, as they are relevant for the dating of Eukratides of Bactria.
Sorry for the freeloading; I am going to buy SC1, but my scholarly
interest in Seleucid coins is often limited to those series with
connections to Bactria.

I have always been under the impression that Timarchos, being a partisan
of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, was loyal to his son Antiochus V, even though
he may have opposed the regent Lysias' control of the boy, and that it
was Demetrius' murder of Antiochus V that made him declare himself king.
Thus I would have interpreted the Babylonian chronicles as referring to
internal fighting among the officials for greater influence, just as the
general Philip besieged Antioch while Lysias was campaigning in Judea.
Could it even be possible that Timarchus intervened in Babylonia with
Lysias' acknowledgement, and that the Babylonian governor was one of
Lysias' adversaries?

The reason to believe that Lysias and Timarchos were at least on
somewhat friendly terms is that Herakleides, Timarchus' brother the
treasurer, was left in office by Lysias according to Appian. Such would
hardly have been the case if Timarchos had rebelled while Antiochus V
was alive.

Appian, Roman History, 8.47: "He (Demetrios I) removed Heraclides from
office and killed Timarchus, who rebelled and who had administered the
government of Babylon badly in other respects. For this he received the
surname Soter, which was first bestowed upon him by the Babylonians."

But perhaps Appian was wrong and Herakleides had already been deposed by
Lysias. Herakleides was well- known as an enemy of Demetrios, as he was
the one who introduced Alexander Balas to the Senate. Under those
circumstances it would be an easy mistake to assume that Demetrios was
the one who sacked Herakleides, when the latter of course had another
reason - the death of Timarchos - to dislike Demetrios. Appian also
neglects to mention Timarchos' connections with Media but treats him as
a Babylonian governor who rebelled. I suppose that Appian's accusation
of Timarchos having administered Babylonia badly is irrelevant if he had
in fact invaded the province.

One wonders why Timarchos chose to imitate Eukratides' Dioscuroi coinage
only in a western mint in Seleucia. The use of the twin gods may perhaps
be an allusion to his brother Herakleides. It would possibly have made
sense if the treasurer Herakleides resided in Seleucia during Epiphanes'
last years, when the king was campaigning in the east, but apparently
Herakleides was not there when Timarchos invaded.

I am uncertain if the astronomical diaries related to Timarchos are
online on livius.org; all I could find was an undated fragment about
Demetrios and Arabia, where Timarchos' name may be mentioned. But I'll
ask Jona Lendering.

Kindly,

Jens Jakobsson



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