(BC 133-130) Eumenes III - Cistophoric Tetradrachm

Eumenes III (Aristonikos), pretender to the throne of Pergamon, 133-130 BC. AR Cistophoric Tetradrachm (12.47g), struck in Lydia, Thyateia, dated year 2 (of his revolt=132/1 BC). Cista mystica with serpent; all within ivy wreath / Bow-case with serpents; thunderbolt above, [Θ]ΥΑ, to left; male head (Dionysos?) to right; within coils of serpents, BA-EY and B (date). VF, toned, reverse slightly double-struck. Very rare.

When the Pergamene king Attalos II died in 134 BC, he bequeathed his kingdom to the Romans. Because the Romans were slow in securing their claim, Aristonikos, son of the earlier Pergamene king Eumenes II, filled the power vacuum, claiming the throne and taking the dynastic name Eumenes. Although unable to capture Pergamon, his revolt lasted four years, until he was defeated and captured by the Romans under the consul M. Perperna. After his surrender, he was paraded through Rome and executed.