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Obol - Uncertain King I
| Issuer | Kingdom of Persis |
|---|---|
| Year | 140 BC - 100 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A male figure, likely the dynastic ruler or a deity, seated facing on a throne or chair, rendered in a frontal or near-frontal position. The enthroned figure appears to hold an object, possibly a scepter or bow, with architectural or structural elements framing the composition on either side. The reverse design follows the characteristic Persis obol type associated with an uncertain early ruler, executed in low relief typical of hammered fractional silver coinage of the period. |
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| Mintage | ND (140 BC - 100 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Kingdom of Persis emerged as a semi-autonomous priestly dynastic state in the region of ancient Fars following the Seleucid collapse in the east, and its coinage presents one of the most stubborn attribution problems in Iranian numismatics. "Uncertain King I" is a cataloger's placeholder — the dynast behind these obols remains unidentified because Persis kings left no contemporary written records, and the dynastic sequence has been reconstructed almost entirely from coin hoards, many of them poorly documented at excavation.
At 0.64 g, these obols circulated as genuine fractional currency in a region where Greek monetary conventions persisted long after Achaemenid collapse.