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Æ - Deiotarus
| Issuer | Kings of Galatia |
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| Year | 62 BC - 40 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Zeus facing right, rendered in a bold, somewhat schematic Hellenistic style. The hair and beard are depicted with broad, flowing locks, and the laurel wreath is visible around the head. The portrait is set within a beaded border that frames the entire obverse field. The engraving, though worn, conveys the dignified iconographic tradition of Zeus imagery adopted by the Galatian dynasts. |
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| Reverse description | A large royal monogram composed of interlocking Greek letters, most likely representing the name or title of Deiotarus, occupies the left portion of the field. To the right stands an oval Galatian shield, depicted in outline with a central spine and a pronounced boss, a characteristic Celtic defensive weapon emblematic of Galatian identity. The composition is framed by a beaded border. The juxtaposition of the dynastic monogram and the Galatian shield reflects the dual Hellenistic and Celtic heritage of the issuing authority. |
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Deiotarus was the most powerful of the Galatian tetrarchs, parlaying his loyalty to Rome — most visibly in the Mithridatic Wars — into a formal kingship granted by Pompey around 64 BC. His relationship with Rome was complicated: Cicero defended him in 45 BC before Caesar on charges of attempted assassination, a speech that survives and remains one of the few contemporary texts to engage directly with a client king of the region. Caesar was murdered before rendering a verdict.
Galatian civic bronze of this period is poorly documented in die studies, and SNG von Aulock 6101 remains the primary reference point for attribution.