Stater

Tarsos operated as a tribute-paying satrapy under Achaemenid authority during this period, and its coinage reflects that uneasy dual identity — locally administered mints producing silver on a weight standard aligned with Persian imperial expectations. The city sat on the main route connecting the Levantine coast to the Anatolian interior, and its staters circulated as a working commercial currency rather than prestige issues, handling the traffic of timber, linen, and mercenary pay moving through the Cilician Gates.