Drachm - Ariarathes I Sinope

Ariarathes I governed Cappadocia as a Persian satrap before the Macedonian conquest reshuffled the entire political order of Asia Minor. When Alexander's general Perdiccas moved against him in 322 BC, Ariarathes was captured, crucified, and his territory absorbed — making this a coinage produced entirely within a narrow window of autonomy that ended violently. The mint at Sinope places this issue within a region that had only recently passed from Pontic independence into Persian-aligned hands, adding another layer to an already complicated provincial history.