Lot 94
Kingdom of Persis. Bagadates I, c. late 3rd or early 2nd century BC. AR Tetradrachm (15.62 g). Head right, with short beard and mustache, with large earring, and wearing satrapal cap (kyrbasia) with flaps tied up. Reverse: Fire temple of Ahura-Mazda with Bagadates on the left and standard to the right; Aramaic legend around. Alram 515; BMC p. 196, 2; Sear GC 6186. Overstruck on uncertain coin. Superb high-relief portrait; lightly toned. Very rare. Among the finest known examples. NGC graded About Uncirculated.
Persis was located in what is now southwestern Iran. 'Persian' peoples settled the area as early as the 8th century BC, in an area that flourished earlier under the powerful Kings of Elam. As a region it comprised the sandy coasts of the Persian Gulf, with its date palms, plus the fertile upland and mountain valleys, along with parts of the mountainous central plateau. Persis rose to importance as the homeland of the Achaemenid Persians at the beginning of their empire. Darius I was especially proud of owning this territory.
The Achaemenid Empire collapsed under onslaughts by Alexander the Great. After his death, rule of Iran passed into the hands of the Seleucid Kings of Syria. However, Persis remained in the hearts and minds of the Persians as their ethnic and religious homeland -- as the source and wellspring of their "Persian-ness." Arsaces I, around 238 BC, initiated a successful rebellion, broke from Seleucid control, and became the first king of the new Parthian dynasty. Persis and a number of other kingdoms followed suit, yet remained independent. The kingdom of Persis never became a part of the empire of the Arsacids, although her kings recognized Parthia as their suzerain -- when they had to of course.
In its heyday, the authority of the Persis kings extended over the shores of the northern Persian Gulf, and the opposite coasts along Arabia. Persis endured as kingdom for four centuries; the wealth of land and sea trade from the further Orient providing a stable fiscal foundation. Again, as the religious center for the Persian's Zoroastrianism, pilgrims and royal privileges added further to the country's wealth.
Estimated Value $18,000 - 20,000.
Illustrated in Money of the World, coin 27. Ex Millennia Sale, lot 61.
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| Realized $48,300 |
