Persis. Artaxerxes. Persepolis. 3rd century BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.09g, 9h). Alram 520; Sunrise 562. Old cabinet tone. Perfectly centered and struck. One of the finest known. Choice extremely fine. From a European private collection; Bank Leu 1987 (42) lot 376

Since the end of the 3rd century BC, Persis had been ruled by local dynasts subject to the Seleucid empire. They held the Persian title of 'frataraka' (governor). Persis struck its own distinctive coinage, with Persic or Aramaic legends, and depicted its rulers wearing the traditional headdress, the kyrbasia. The portrait on this tetradrachm is spectacular in its power and must be a realistic image of Artaxerxes himself.