Mints of Cilicia

c. 500 BC/BCE to 300 CE

The coinage of Cilicia down to about the middle of the fifth century consisted of silver Aeginetic staters struck at uncertain mints. Somewhat later Celenderis, Mallus, Nagidus, Soli, and Tarsus, and still later Issus, began to strike silver money on the Persic standard. These six towns were probably the only important Cilician mints before the age of Alexander. Their money is partly municipal and partly satrapal, i. e. struck in the names or with the types of the Persian satraps, who made the Cilician ports the base of their opera- tions against Cyprus and Egypt in the earlier part of the fourth century B.C. 

Subject ID: 127409

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c. 500 BC/BCE to 300 CE

The coinage of Cilicia down to about the middle of the fifth century consisted of silver Aeginetic staters struck at uncertain mints. Somewhat later Celenderis, Mallus, Nagidus, Soli, and Tarsus, and still later Issus, began to strike silver money on the Persic standard. These six towns were probably the only important Cilician mints before the age of Alexander. Their money is partly municipal and partly satrapal, i. e. struck in the names or with the types of the Persian satraps, who made the Cilician ports the base of their opera- tions against Cyprus and Egypt in the earlier part of the fourth century B.C. 

With the expedition of Alexander, the satrapal coinage comes to an end, and is superseded by the new royal coinage of Alexander. This, followed by the money of the Seleucid kings, formed the chief currency of Cilicia down to the time when Pompey reorganized the country as a Roman province, B.C. 64. About this time begins a plentiful issue of autonomous bronze coins at all the principal towns, under Roman protection. many of which are dated according to various local eras. But until A. D. 74 Cilicia Tracheia remained largely under the rule of local princes, and the quasi-autonomous coinage with magistrates’ initials or monograms lasted longer here than elsewhere in Asia Minor outside the province of Asia. The Imperial coins are very numerous; silver occurs exceptionally from Domitian to Caracalla at Aegeae, Mopsuestia, Seleuceia, Tarsus, and perhaps also at Elaeussa-Sebaste; for the weights see B. M. Catal. under these towns.

Subject ID: 127409

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