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Tetrobol - Uncertain dynast
| Issuer | Dynasts of Lycia (Achaemenid Satrapies) |
|---|---|
| Year | 490 BC - 430 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 14 mm |
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| Obverse description | Forepart of a boar advancing to the right, rendered in bold relief with finely detailed bristles along the spine and shoulders. The animal's snout, tusks, and forelegs are clearly articulated, conveying vigorous forward motion. The broad, irregular flan exhibits a slightly granular surface characteristic of early Lycian silver coinage. No legend or inscription is present in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A tortoise depicted in dorsal view, with carapace, head, and extended limbs carefully rendered, centrally positioned within a dotted square border. This inner square is itself set within a recessed incuse square, a hallmark of archaic Greek coining technique. The beaded inner frame and the flat, deeply sunken outer square together create a strong geometric framing device typical of early Lycian dynastic issues. No inscription or additional device appears in the field. |
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| Additional information |
Lycia's dynastic coinage of this period was issued under loose Achaemenid suzerainty, but the dynasts themselves operated with considerable autonomy — minting in their own names, fighting private wars, and occasionally switching allegiances between Persia and the Greek coastal cities as circumstances demanded. The attribution "uncertain dynast" reflects a genuine scholarly impasse: Lycian script on coins of this period remains partially contested, and regional rulers like Kuprlli, Mithrapata, and Kheriga all produced tetrobols that overlap typologically.
The weight standard follows the Lycian reduced silver norm, distinct from both Attic and Aeginetan conventions.