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Stater
| Issuer | Tarsos |
|---|---|
| Year | 410 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 10.51 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Satrap on horseback galloping left, wearing satrapal dress consisting of tunic, trousers, and tiara; the rider is depicted in profile with reins held forward. A bee symbol appears in the upper right field, serving as a mint or civic emblem. The composition is dynamic, reflecting the energetic Cilician artistic tradition of the early fourth century BC. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Archer depicted kneeling to right in the act of drawing a bow, rendered in a compact, carefully detailed style characteristic of Cilician coinage of this period. To the left, an astragalos (knucklebone) is positioned above the archer's arm, with rocks depicted below. A grain ear appears to the right of the figure. The entire design is enclosed within a dotted border square, itself set within a recessed incuse square formed by the die. |
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| Additional information |
Tarsos was the administrative capital of the Persian satrapy of Cilicia, and by the early fourth century its mint was producing coins to pay — in large part — the mercenary forces that kept Achaemenid interests intact across the eastern Mediterranean. The satrap Pharnabazos and later Datames both used this mint for precisely that purpose, though this earlier issue predates their more prolific campaigns. Greek mercenary pay was the engine behind much of Cilician silver production.
SNG France 214 places this piece within a well-documented but chronologically contested sequence, with attribution debates centering on which local dynast or Persian-appointed authority controlled the Tarsos mint at precisely this moment.