Friday, October 5, 2018

Cilician coins - Achaemenid Empire horsemen


Salvete Omnes,
I have not been to ancient Persia lately, hence there is this opportunity revisit, via Coin Archives .
In particular, there is this set of coins from Tarsos related to the period of 450-400 BC when a number(?) of  Syennesis of Cilicia (Cukurova, modern Turkey)  or the rulers of the Achaemenid satrapy, were important, perhaps semi-independent lords of that important satrapy during the tumultuous V century BC.
The coins contain plenty of detailed information - horse type, horse tack, tied forelocks and tails, arms and armor of the horsemen and king-divine figures etc.
1.fabulously detailed coin with a horseman typically armed with a bow and wearing kyrbasia
2. a horseman wearing a Median coat or kantus
3. another horseman wearing a kantus
4. horseman wearing kyrbasia
and more Cilcian satrapy coins - more or less damaged - but still amazing

Valete!
ps
details from drawings by Flandin of the Apadana (Persepolis) staircase procession

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Stunning specimens.

Dario T. W. said...

thanks for commenting - the coins, they truly are stunning