Kings of Macedon, Philip VI Andriskos Extremely Rare AR Drachm 149-148 BC Ancient Greek Silver Coin Museum Reproduction CSGDS0029

Andriskos seems to have been an adventurer from Adramytteion in the Troad. He claimed to be the son of Perseus and Laodike, and thus the legitimate heir to the throne of Macedon. How he attempted to substantiate his claim is unclear, but it was evidently accepted by enough people to elevate his uprising from the status of a minor annoyance to the level of full scale war requiring the intervention of a large Roman army under the command of one of the Republic’s principal generals. Initially Andriskos tried to enlist the support of his uncle, King Demetrios I of Syria who, probably in 153 BC, sent him to Rome to press his claim. The Romans did not take the young upstart seriously and obviously did not regard him as a significant threat. Fearing imprisonment, Andriskos escaped to Asia Minor where he was encouraged in his enterprise by the Macedonian wife of the Pergamene prince Athenaios. Crossing over to Thrace, he received the support of the chieftains Teres and Barsabas who provided him with an army with which he invaded Macedon. Success in various engagements brought further support to his cause and he even began to threaten Thessaly (149 BC). The Romans were, by this time, fully aware of their former mistake and in consequence had appointed P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum to organize resistance to the usurper in Greece. Andriskos, with the overconfidence born of easy success, refused to negotiate with Scipio and proceeded to win a resounding victory over a small Roman army commanded by the Praetor P. Juventius Thalna.
The time had come for a full-scale military confrontation and the Romans called upon the services of Q. Caecilius Metellus (later called Macedonicus), a veteran of Aemilius Paullus’ Macedonian campaign twenty years earlier. Against a large Roman army under a seasoned general, and with the support of the Pergamene fleet provided by Rome’s ally Attalos I, the Macedonian pretender stood no chance of success. His army was routed and the nationalist movement collapsed as suddenly as it had begun. Fleeing from the field of battle, Andriskos made good his escape to Thrace where he attempted to rally support. However, his was obviously a lost cause and he was soon taken prisoner by the Romans. Prior to his execution he adorned the triumph of Metellus Macedonicus through the streets of Rome. With the removal of Andriskos, the first steps were taken in the organization of the territory as a Roman province.
DESIGN:
Obverse side
Diademed head right, wearing a slight beard
Legend:
Anepigraphic

Reverse side
Naked Herakles standing left, holding rhyton in his right hand, club in his left, lion’s skin hanging on left arm
Legend:
BAΣILEΩΣ ΦIΛIΠΠOΥ

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