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Tetradrachm - Amyntas Side
| Issuer | Kings of Galatia |
|---|---|
| Year | 36 BC - 25 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 29 mm |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena in right profile, wearing a Corinthian helmet pushed back on the head and adorned with a prominent crest. Long wavy locks of hair fall gracefully behind the neck and over the shoulder. The facial features are rendered in the refined Hellenistic style characteristic of the mint of Side. The field is plain, with no legend, the entire composition dominated by the imposing effigy of the goddess. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΜΥΝΤΟΥ |
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| Additional information |
Amyntas was installed as king of Galatia by Mark Antony around 36 BC, rewarded for switching sides at the right moment — he had served Deiotarus Philadelphus and then transferred his loyalties with characteristic opportunism. His kingdom was a patchwork of territories accumulated through Antony's generosity, including Pisidia, Phrygia, Lycaonia, and parts of Pamphylia. When Antony lost at Actium in 31 BC, Amyntas pivoted immediately to Octavian, an arrangement that proved mutually useful until his death fighting the Homonadenses in 25 BC, after which Augustus absorbed the territory directly into the Roman provincial system.
The tetradrachm coinage minted at Side served the practical demands of a kingdom still operating in the Hellenistic monetary tradition even as Roman power reshaped everything around it. Side was a major commercial port on the Pamphylian coast with an established mint tradition, making it the logical venue for large-denomination silver.