Cilicia. Tarsos. Datames, Satrap of Cilicia and Cappadocia 384-360 BC.
Stater AR

22 mm, 10,52 g

Female head facing slightly left, hair in ampyx, wearing single-pendant earring and necklace / Bearded head right, wearing crested Attic helmet, drapery around neck, TRKMW (in Aramaic) to right.

Good Very Fine

Casabonne Type 1; Moysey Issue 4; SNG France 269; SNG Levante 79.

Datames was a prominent Persian general and satrap during the 4th century BCE. He hailed from the region of Cappadocia in Asia Minor and rose to prominence as a military commander under the Achaemenid Empire. Datames is best known for his military campaigns and his efforts to assert his autonomy from the Persian central authority. Despite being a loyal servant of the Achaemenid kings, he sought greater independence for his own satrapy. He was skilled in warfare and known for his strategic prowess. One of Datames' notable achievements was his successful defense of Cappadocia against the incursions of the Macedonian king, Alexander the Great. However, Datames eventually fell out of favor with the Persian king Artaxerxes II due to his aspirations for greater autonomy. Artaxerxes ordered his assassination, and Datames was betrayed and killed by one of his own officers. Datames' story is significant because it reflects the complex political landscape of the Achaemenid Empire and the challenges faced by regional satraps in balancing loyalty to the central authority with their own ambitions for power and autonomy.

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Stunning reverse