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Obol - Datames Tarsus
| Issuer | Cilicia, Satrapy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 384 BC - 360 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A cock standing right, depicted with naturalistic feather detail on the wing and tail; two six-pointed stars flank the bird, one positioned above and to the upper left, the second to the lower right. The cock stands on a slightly uneven ground line on this small hammered flan. No inscription is present in the field, and the composition is typical of the civic and satrapal obol coinage of Tarsus under Datames. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Datames was the last independent satrap of Cilicia, a Cappadocian-born commander who rose through Persian court service before governing the region and eventually leading one of the most sustained revolts against Artaxerxes II during the Satraps' Revolt of the 360s BC. He was never defeated in the field — his end came through assassination, arranged by a fellow rebel who had made a private deal with the Achaemenid court.
The coinage he issued at Tarsus represents one of the few instances of a non-Greek provincial governor striking in his own name within the Persian imperial system. Sunrise 55 is among the scarcer cited references for this denomination.