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KINGDOM OF THRACE
Adaios – Seleukid Strategos (Military Governor) of Thracian Territories: Circa 255-245 B.C.
Bronze Hemiobol 14mm (3.14 grams) Kypsela mint, struck circa: 275-225 B.C.
Reference: HGC 3.2, 1767 (Rare R1) SNG Copenhagen 1186; Youroukova 1976, nos. 120-121
Certification: NGC Ancients VF 4936277-002
Head of Kalydonian (Calydonian) boar right.
AΔAI Spearhead to right, with two monograms below.
VERY RARE
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Adaios – Seleukid Strategos (Military Governor) of Thracian Territories: Circa 255-245 B.C.
Adaios was a significant figure in the Thracian territories during the period of circa 255-245 BC. He is known to have held the position of strategos, or military governor, of the Thracian territories conquered by the Seleukid king Antiochos II Theos.
Antiochos II initiated these conquests as part of the Second Sy-ri-an War, which took place from 260 to 253 BC, against the Ptolemaic king Ptolemy II Philopator. Adaios was established as the strategos following the successful conquest of the Thracian territories by Antiochos II around 255-253 BC.
After peace was established with Ptolemy II, Antiochos II’s attention shifted away from Thrace, and Adaios seems to have transitioned into a local ruler or dynast in the region. It is believed that Adaios governed his territory in southern Thrace, and potential centers of his power have been suggested to include Kypsela, Maroneia, and Ainos.
However, Adaios’s rule came to an unfortunate end. He was executed at Kypsela by Ptolemy III Euergetes, the Ptolemaic king, during the Third Sy-ri-an War (246-241 BC). It is said that Adaios opposed the Ptolemaic advance into Seleukid Thrace, which led to his execution.
During his rule, Adaios issued a bronze coinage in three denominations. The largest denomination featured the head of Apollo with a tripod, likely derived from the contemporary issues of Antiochos II, which were widely circulated in Thrace. The other denomination showcased the head of Herakles with his club or the head of Athena with an owl perched on a spearhead. The smallest denomination depicted the head of a boar alongside a spearhead. All of Adaios’s bronze coins featured Greek legends, either in full or abbreviated form, with the name “Adaios” as the issuing authority.
Adaios’s reign and coinage provide valuable insights into the political and economic landscape of Thrace during the Hellenistic period, specifically during the conflicts between the Seleukid and Ptolemaic kingdoms. His rule as a local dynast and his subsequent execution highlight the power struggles and shifting alliances in the region during that time.
The Calydonian Boar is one of the monsters of Greek mythology that had to be overcome by heroes of the Olympian age. Sent by Artemis to ravage the region of Calydon in Aetolia because its king failed to honor her in his rites to the gods, it was killed in the Calydonian Hunt, in which many male heroes took part, but also a powerful woman, Atalanta, who won its hide by first wounding it with an arrow. This outraged some of the men, with tragic results. Strabo was under the impression that the Calydonian Boar was an offspring of the Crommyonian Sow vanquished by Theseus.
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