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Tetradrachm - Pharnaces I
| Issuer | Kings of Pontos |
|---|---|
| Year | 196 BC - 155 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Bare-necked, diademed and bearded portrait bust of Pharnaces I facing right, rendered in the Hellenistic royal tradition with finely engraved curling hair and a royal diadem tied at the nape. The effigy displays strong, individualistic facial features including a prominent nose, well-defined cheekbones, and a short, neatly trimmed beard, reflecting the high-quality die-cutting characteristic of Pontic royal coinage. The portrait is executed in high relief with naturalistic modelling of the hair and beard, consistent with the artistic conventions of second-century BC Hellenistic portraiture. No legend appears on the obverse field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Pharnaces I inherited a Pontic kingdom already oriented toward Hellenistic court culture, and his tetradrachms reflect a deliberate effort to project legitimacy across the Greek-speaking world of the Black Sea littoral. His reign was marked by aggressive expansion into Galatia and Paphlagonia, drawing sustained military opposition from a coalition that included Eumenes II of Pergamon and the Seleucid Antiochus IV. The Peace of Apamea's aftershocks still reverberated through Anatolian politics throughout his reign.
The blank SNG BM Black Sea reference signals how thinly documented individual die pairings remain for this ruler.