Stater

Aspendos in Pamphylia operated with unusual monetary independence throughout the fourth century, striking its own silver coinage long after neighboring cities had submitted to Persian or Macedonian monetary authority. The city's staters were so widely trusted in regional trade — particularly in mercenary pay circuits — that Aspendian coinage continued essentially unchanged across political upheavals that transformed the surrounding region. Alexander the Great fined the city heavily and demanded it pay tribute directly to his treasury rather than to Persian satraps, yet the mint kept running.

The SNG France series documents meaningful variation among dies of this type, and the "var." designation here places this piece outside the closest parallels — worth comparing against Atlan's earlier die study.