DOI issue:
Artykuły/Articles
DOI article:Bodzek, Jarosław: The Satraps of Caria and the Lycians in the Achaemenid Period: Where is the Numismatic Evidence?
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.57341#0023
THE SATRAPS OF CARIA AND THE LYCIANS...
Oxyrhynchia (19.2), in financing some military venture, the Great King could
have handed over the resources by which to achieve the undertaking to the chief
in charge of bringing it to fruition.40 It may be that a similar scheme was used by
the king’s subordinates, that is, the satraps, karanoi, and others, who could have
used this method to subsidize the local dynasts and the contingents that they were
in charge of. This possibly having been the case, we can cautiously adopt the view
that this was also true of ancient Lycia. The subsidies reached the Lycian dynasts
in the form of monetary silver - for example, royal silver coins with an archer
(so-called sigloi) - or that of non-monetary silver (bullion, silver dishes, chunks
of silver).41 The result is that the dynasts and local military leaders struck their
own monetary issues from metal obtained in this way. What may argue in favor of
this hypothesis is the fact that certain Lycian coins are composed of an alloy that
indicates that silver from royal sigloi was used to strike them.42 We may also have
indirect evidence that sigloi circulated in the lands of Lycia thanks to countermarks
in the form of a triskeles, or variations of a triskeles, which are sometimes regarded
as Lycian,43 It is also worth mentioning in this context that some Lycian coins were
struck in the Persian standard.44 On the one hand, this could indirectly indicate that
royal sigloi or satrapal coins in the Persian standard circulated in the lands of Lycia.45
On the other hand, we cannot rule out that other, non-royal coins - ones belonging
to municipal or satrapal issues - could have reached the lands of Lycia as subsidies
for the realization of tasks of a military nature.46 The well-known anecdote about
Datames bears testimony to the diversity of sources with regard to the origin of
the bullion necessary to strike the coins used for the financing of military activities
by Achaemenid officials (Polyaen. 7. 21. 1; Pseudo-Arist., Oec. 2. 1350b).47 In this
40 Cf. BRIANT 2002: 595f; BODZEK2014b. In reality, these resources were for the beginning of the chief’s
duty; later, he would have had to take care of things himself.
41 The source of the metal from which Lycian coins were struck is explored at length in N. Vismara-Martini
(2001).
42 Cf. CALLIARI and VISMARA 1998; VISMARA-MARTINI 2001. Vismara-Martini goes into a detailed
discussion on the research that has been done on the composition of the silver of Lycian coins and the possible
sources of the metal used to strike them; she also discusses the overstriking of Lycian issues both with regard to
coins that belonged to earlier local series as well as the coins of foreign issuers.
43 Cf. VISMARA-MARTINI 2001: 353f. Neither O. Morkholm nor J. Zahle (1976: 67f) agree with the idea
that the above-mentioned countermarks can be interpreted as Lycian. Moreover, it needs to be pointed out that
sigloi did not necessarily reach the lands of Lycia as a result of their having been subsidies but instead could
have arrived there, for example, as a result of activities on the part of Lycians outside of Lycia or as a result of
commercial transactions.
44 Cf. ZAHLE 1989: 170.
45 It is worth reminding ourselves here of the presence of a double siglos struck in Tars, which was part of
the Tissaphemes Hoard (HURTER 1979: 107, A, Pl. 9).
46 Here it is worth citing once again N. Vismara-Martini’s article analyzing the origin of the metal used to
strike the coins in Lycia (VISMARA-MARTINI 2001).
47 Cf. BODZEK2011: 129f, 287; IDEM 2014b: 7.
21
Oxyrhynchia (19.2), in financing some military venture, the Great King could
have handed over the resources by which to achieve the undertaking to the chief
in charge of bringing it to fruition.40 It may be that a similar scheme was used by
the king’s subordinates, that is, the satraps, karanoi, and others, who could have
used this method to subsidize the local dynasts and the contingents that they were
in charge of. This possibly having been the case, we can cautiously adopt the view
that this was also true of ancient Lycia. The subsidies reached the Lycian dynasts
in the form of monetary silver - for example, royal silver coins with an archer
(so-called sigloi) - or that of non-monetary silver (bullion, silver dishes, chunks
of silver).41 The result is that the dynasts and local military leaders struck their
own monetary issues from metal obtained in this way. What may argue in favor of
this hypothesis is the fact that certain Lycian coins are composed of an alloy that
indicates that silver from royal sigloi was used to strike them.42 We may also have
indirect evidence that sigloi circulated in the lands of Lycia thanks to countermarks
in the form of a triskeles, or variations of a triskeles, which are sometimes regarded
as Lycian,43 It is also worth mentioning in this context that some Lycian coins were
struck in the Persian standard.44 On the one hand, this could indirectly indicate that
royal sigloi or satrapal coins in the Persian standard circulated in the lands of Lycia.45
On the other hand, we cannot rule out that other, non-royal coins - ones belonging
to municipal or satrapal issues - could have reached the lands of Lycia as subsidies
for the realization of tasks of a military nature.46 The well-known anecdote about
Datames bears testimony to the diversity of sources with regard to the origin of
the bullion necessary to strike the coins used for the financing of military activities
by Achaemenid officials (Polyaen. 7. 21. 1; Pseudo-Arist., Oec. 2. 1350b).47 In this
40 Cf. BRIANT 2002: 595f; BODZEK2014b. In reality, these resources were for the beginning of the chief’s
duty; later, he would have had to take care of things himself.
41 The source of the metal from which Lycian coins were struck is explored at length in N. Vismara-Martini
(2001).
42 Cf. CALLIARI and VISMARA 1998; VISMARA-MARTINI 2001. Vismara-Martini goes into a detailed
discussion on the research that has been done on the composition of the silver of Lycian coins and the possible
sources of the metal used to strike them; she also discusses the overstriking of Lycian issues both with regard to
coins that belonged to earlier local series as well as the coins of foreign issuers.
43 Cf. VISMARA-MARTINI 2001: 353f. Neither O. Morkholm nor J. Zahle (1976: 67f) agree with the idea
that the above-mentioned countermarks can be interpreted as Lycian. Moreover, it needs to be pointed out that
sigloi did not necessarily reach the lands of Lycia as a result of their having been subsidies but instead could
have arrived there, for example, as a result of activities on the part of Lycians outside of Lycia or as a result of
commercial transactions.
44 Cf. ZAHLE 1989: 170.
45 It is worth reminding ourselves here of the presence of a double siglos struck in Tars, which was part of
the Tissaphemes Hoard (HURTER 1979: 107, A, Pl. 9).
46 Here it is worth citing once again N. Vismara-Martini’s article analyzing the origin of the metal used to
strike the coins in Lycia (VISMARA-MARTINI 2001).
47 Cf. BODZEK2011: 129f, 287; IDEM 2014b: 7.
21