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HOME :
Numismatics :
Persian Coins : Cilician Silver Stater Struck Under the Satrap Mazaios
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Cilician Silver Stater Struck Under the Satrap Mazaios - C.2059
Origin: Minted in Myriandros
Circa: 361
BC
to 334
BC
Collection: Numismatics
Style: Cilician
Medium: Silver
$2,100.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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Obverse: The God Ba’altars Enthroned Facing Left
Reverse: A Lion Advancing Towards the Left
Cilicia is an ancient region of southeastern Asia
Minor (modern Turkey), along the Mediterranean
north of Cyprus. It included a high and barren
plateau, Cilicia Trachia, an inhospitable region
that served as shelter for pirates, and a richly
fertile plain, Cilicia Pedias, that served as a
strategic passageway throughout history. The
area was under the domination of the Assyrian
Empire before it became part of the Persian
Empire. The Greeks settled on the coast early
on, and Cilicia was Hellenized to a great extent.
Mazaios, a Persian nobleman, had a long and distinguished career. He was appointed
satrap of Cilicia about 361 BC, and the region known as “Across the River” (modern Syria,
Lebanon, and Israel) was later added to his domain. He fought against the Phoenicians of
Sidon who revolted with the support of Pharaoh Nektanebo II and the Greek mercenary
leader Mentor. Mazaios later served as the satrap of Mesopotamia and married Barsine, the
daughter of Darius III. Famed historian Plutarch described him as “the greatest Persian
after Darius.” This remarkable complement indicates that Mazaios might have
simultaneously held the post of the Herzaraptis (the commanding officer of the
Spearbearer’s Regimen) while serving as satrap. In 331 B.C., as Alexander the Great and his
armies approached the great city of Babylon, Mazaios surrendered the city to him after
gaining assurances that Babylon would not be plundered. Alexander rewarded Mazaios for
his prudent decision by retaining him as governor, a position he held until his death in
328 BC.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. This
coin is a memorial an ancient governor and the
Persian Empire passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation.
- (C.2059)
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