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Hemidrachm - Archelaus Caesarea
| Issuer | Kings of Cappadokia |
|---|---|
| Year | 4-5 |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Bare head of Heracles facing right, with the Nemean lion skin knotted around the neck, rendered in the Hellenistic tradition. The portrait displays a strong, idealised profile with short curling hair. The effigy is set within a beaded border encircling the entire field. No legend appears on the obverse. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central device depicting Mount Argaios, the sacred volcanic peak of Cappadokia, shown as a rocky conical mountain with a rounded summit, set within a circular Greek legend. The regnal date letter M (denoting regnal year 40) appears to the left of the mountain in the field. The surrounding legend reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΡΧΕΛΑΟΥ, identifying the issuer as King Archelaus. The inscriptions and central type are contained within a beaded border on this irregular flan. |
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| Additional information |
Archelaus ruled Cappadocia as a client king under Rome for over fifty years — longer than any other Cappadocian monarch — before Tiberius summoned him to Rome in 17 AD on charges of maiestas and he died there, possibly by his own hand, before any verdict was reached. The kingdom was immediately annexed as a Roman province. Coins from years 4–5 of his reign fall early in that long tenure, struck at Caesarea Mazaca, the capital he renamed after Augustus.