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Diobol - Sophytes Pre-Seleucid Bactria
| Issuer | Sophytes's Satrapy (Bactria and Arachosia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 305 BC - 294 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.32 g |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena in right profile, rendered in the Attic Greek tradition. The helmet, a characteristic Athenian Corinthian type, covers the crown and nape of the neck, with the cheekpiece visible above the jaw. The facial features are boldly modelled in high relief, displaying an archaic stylistic influence adapted to local Bactrian coinage production. The field is plain and unlettered. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (305 BC - 294 BC) |
| Additional information |
Sophytes remains one of the more enigmatic figures of the post-Alexander fragmentation — a local dynast in Bactria and possibly Arachosia who managed to retain authority through both Alexander's conquest and the subsequent Seleucid consolidation, likely by strategic cooperation rather than resistance. Ancient sources, including a passage in Diodorus, note Alexander's favorable reception of a ruler in this region who offered submission and gifts, which may explain how Sophytes survived long enough to issue coinage at all. His issues are extraordinarily rare and sit outside the mainstream Macedonian or early Seleucid series entirely.