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Stater - Balakros
| Issuer | Cilicia, Satrapy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 333 BC - 323 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | SNG Levante#52, Sunrise#145 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Aramaic |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Athena rendered in three-quarter facing view, turned slightly to the left, wearing a triple-crested Attic helmet; the drapery is rendered in fine detail consistent with the Persianizing Greek artistic tradition of Cilician coinage of the late fourth century BC; the field is plain with no visible legend or additional devices. |
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| Additional information |
Balakros served as satrap of Cilicia following Alexander the Great's sweep through the region in 333 BC, appointed to administer a territory whose mint at Tarsus had already been producing high-quality silver coinage for decades under Persian authority. His issues represent one of the transitional moments in Anatolian numismatics, when Macedonian administrative control was being imposed over existing Persian satrapal infrastructure — the mint continuing largely uninterrupted, the political masters changed entirely.
SNG Levante 52 and Sunrise 145 place this piece firmly within a small, well-documented group. Balakros died in battle against the Pisidians, likely before Alexander's own death in 323 BC.