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Drachm Rhodiapolis
| Issuer | Lycian League |
|---|---|
| Year | 167 BC - 81 BC |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing right, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with detailed curling locks of hair falling about the neck and a prominent laurel wreath crowning the brow. The facial features are well-modelled, with a straight nose and slightly parted lips characteristic of idealized Apollo portraiture. A bow and quiver are visible over the shoulder. The flan is irregular in shape, as typical of hammered coinage of the Lycian League. |
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| Reverse description | A kithara (lyre) occupies the central field, flanked by the letters P and O denoting the mint city of Rhodiapolis. The ethnic legend ΛYKIΩN appears above, identifying the issuing authority as the Lycian League. A lance is depicted to the left of the design. The entire composition is set within a shallow incuse square, a hallmark of early Greek silver coinage technique. |
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| Additional information |
The Lycian League's coinage authority was formally recognized by Rome following the defeat of Perseus of Macedon at Pydna in 168 BC, when the Romans transferred control of Lycia from Rhodes to the Lycians themselves — ending roughly two decades of Rhodian administration that the Lycians had experienced as occupation rather than alliance. Rhodiapolis, a small but autonomous city in eastern Lycia, issued under the federal coinage system that made the League one of the ancient world's most sophisticated federated monetary structures, with member cities retaining local mint identifiers within a unified type.