Drachm - Ariarathes VI Epiphanes

Ariarathes VI came to power under uncomfortable circumstances — his father Ariarathes V died fighting alongside Rome against Aristonikos of Pergamon in 130 BC, the very year this coinage begins. The kingdom passed to a minor, with his mother Nysa serving as regent, and she reportedly had several of her own sons killed to consolidate control before Ariarathes VI was old enough to resist her. He eventually had her executed.

The SNG von Aulock 6284 reference places this among the better-documented die groupings for the series, though attributions across the twenty-year span remain contested by specialists working from hoard evidence.