CARIA. Achaemenid Period. Circa 350-334 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 23 mm, 15.25 g, 6 h), Chian-Rhodian standard. Uncertain mint, circa 350-340. The Persian Great King or hero in kneeling/running stance to right, drawing bow. Rev. Satrap, wearing kyrbasia, on horseback galloping to right, thrusting with spear in his right hand. HN online 1405. Konuk, Influences, Group 2. Pixodarus 12. Price, More, p. 34 and pl. IX, 7. SNG Kayhan 1568. Very well centered and in exceptional condition for this difficult issue, with a beautiful rendering of the Persian Great King on the obverse and the local satrap on the reverse. Minor marks and light weakness, otherwise, good very fine.

The coinage of the Persian satraps is one of the most fascinating series from the classical period. Issued in the multicultural regions of Asia Minor, these coins feature some of the earliest depictions of rulers, as well as a variety of motifs that combine both Greek and Persian influences, along with local and imperial iconography. The present tetradrachm dates from the late period of the Achaemenid Empire, a time when satrapal coins no longer displayed portraits of the satraps, and their names were increasingly omitted. Whether this change resulted from a royal edict by the Great King prohibiting the prominent self-representation of his satraps on coins following the alleged Great Satrap Revolt of 366-360 BC, the scale and significance of which remain debated in scholarly circles, or whether this reflects an anachronistic interpretation stemming from Roman-centric modern scholarship, remains contested. The obverse of the coin features a striking depiction of the well-known Achaemenid imperial type, familiar from the darics and sigloi: the Great King or hero in a kneeling/running stance to the right, drawing his bow. This image symbolizes the king as a powerful military leader and protector of his realm. The reverse shows the regional satrap on horseback, wearing a kyrbasia and holding a spear, ready to throw or thrust. Due to the lack of inscription, the identity of the satrap remains, likely deliberately, obscure. These coins date from around 350-340 BC, a period when the Hecatomnids ruled over Caria. While our coin was certainly minted in Caria, the identity of the satrap depicted remains uncertain. Given the lack of inscription, it is unclear whether it portrays a Hecatomnid or another Persian satrap. The borders of the Persian satrapies were not fixed, and the coin type, which differs significantly from the usual Hecatomnid coinage, may therefore reflect a different historical context that is no longer fully accessible to us. What is clear is that this coin is a particularly striking example of Achaemenid numismatic art, struck during a time when, in a small kingdom northwest of the Aegean, a storm was brewing under an ambitious ruler - whose youthful son would soon sweep away the greatest empire the world had ever known and forever change the course of history