LYCIAN DYNASTS. Mithrapata (ca. 390-360 BC). AR stater (24mm, 9.75 gm, 2h). NGC AU 4/5 - 4/5. Antiphellus, ca. 380-375 BC. Forepart of crouching, roaring lion right, right foreleg extended / MI-THRA-PATA (Lycian), bare head of Mithrapata left; triskeles to lower right, all within incuse square. Mildenberg, Mithrapata 3. SNG von Aulock 4237. Expertly centered on good metal. Light lavender toning with splashes of red-orange. From the Historical Scholar Collection Although coin portraiture is commonly thought to be a Hellenistic invention, the first true portraits actually appeared in Lycia in the late Classical period, under the dynasts who ruled nominally as suzerains of the Persian Great King. Little is known about Mithrapata, who exercised control circa 390-370 BC, but his remarkable coin portraits, which show him on a human scale and with remarkable realism, offer a few intriguing hints. Unlike earlier Lycian dynasts, he does not wear the bashlyk, a Persian cap worn as a symbol of satrapal power, nor does he sport any godlike attributes. This could suggest Mithrapata had declared his independence of the Persian Empire, or that he favored Greek over Persian sensibilities.

HID09801242017

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