CILICIA. Nagidos. Tiribazos, satrap of Lydia, 388-380 BC. Stater (Silver, 22 mm, 10.41 g, 4 h). Head of Dionysios to right, wearing wreath of ivy and fruit. Rev. MAΛ Idealized satrapal head to right, wearing kyrbasia bound with a taenia. Lederer -. Hess-Divo 329 (2015), 105 = Nomos 19 (2019), 178 corr. (same dies, but incorrectly described as unpublished). SNG Levante -. SNG Paris -. SNG von Aulock -. Weiser, Kyros, pl XX, 40 (this coin). Extremely rare and of great interest. Somewhat rough and with some scratches, otherwise, very fine.


In his article on the earliest numismatic portraits of living human beings, W. Weiser pointed out that the satrapal heads appearing on Cilician staters in the early 4th century are not actual portraits, but rather idealized images of the Persian Grandees. This differentiates them significantly from contemporary Lycian staters, which clearly show actual portraits of the local dynasts with very individual features. Sometime around 380 BC, all satrapal portraits suddenly disappear, perhaps due to a ban from the Persian Great King, who feared competition from his unruly noblemen (see Weiser p. 294). The present issue of Tiribazos from Nagidos is among the rarest in the satrapal portrait series: when this example first appeared for sale in 1973, it sold for a staggering 10,250 CHF.