AR Stater 384-383 BC v. Chr. CILICIA, MALLOS - TIRIBAZOS, SATRAP OF LYDIA, ca. 394-380 BC - ca. 384-383 BC (nearly xf, struck with worn obverse die: USD 13.0
obv. Baal standing half-left, holding eagle in extended right hand, lotus-tipped scepter in left MAΛ to left, TRBZW (in Aramaic) to right rev. Ahura-Mazda facing, head right, body terminating in solar disk with wings and tail feathers, holding up wreath in right hand, lotus blossom in left. Tiribazos was born ca. 440 BC. He made a career as a military man and served as a satrap under the Persian King Artaxerxes II (450-358 BC). He was highly regarded by Artaxerxes II, and when he was present, so Xenophon tells us, no one else had the honour of helping the sovereign to mount his horse. Until 395 BC, Tiribazos served as the hyparch (satrap) of Western Armenia. He succeeded Tithraustes as satrap of Lydia (Western Asia, with Sardeis as capital). He was holding this office when, in 393 BC, Antalkidas was sent to negotiate, through him, a peace for Sparta with the Persian king. In 387 BC he also led the peace negotiations with Athens, which led to the Peace of Antalkidas.The satrapy of Lydia included the following subdivisions:• Lydia itself (Sardis and inland), including Ionia (Persian Yauna), consisting of cities and islands historically Greek.• Phrygia which included Mysia• Caria which included Lycia.• Thrace which also included Macedonia called Skudra by the Persians.In 386/385 BC, Tiribazos was made joint commander of the Persian expedition against Evagoras I (r. 411–374 BC), the king of Salamis in Cyprus. He was assigned to the lead the Persian navy, while Orontes I, the satrap of Armenia, led the land forces. Tiribazus reportedly knew Orontes from his early days in Armenia, where he had served as the hyparch of its western part till 395 BC. By 382 BC, preparations for the campaign had been made, with a battle taking place the following year near the Cyprian city of Kition, where the Persians emerged victorious due to their larger fleet. Evagoras withdrew to Salamis, which he started fortifying.Failing to gain help from the Egyptian pharaoh Hakor (r. 392/1–379/8 BC), Evagoras started to negotiate a peace treaty with Tiribazos, offering to withdraw from all the cities of Cyprus except Salamis, and pay a fixed yearly tribute to the Persian crown. Tiribazos was inclined to accept the offer, but the negotiations failed after Evagoras refused to also cede his status as king. The negotiations between Evagoras and Tiribazos led to Orontes to send a number of accusations to Artaxerxes II, which mentioned that Tiribazos was deliberately prolonging the war and planning to declare independence. Artaxerxes II was unable to make a proper assessment due to his distance, but could not risk Tiribazos ruin the recent Persian accomplishments, and as a result had him jailed in Susa, heavily weakening the position of the Persian expedition.
Glos, who was the father-in-law of Tiribazos, fearing for his own position, started plotting against Artaxerxes II and secretly making peace with Egypt and Sparta. Evagoras started to help from the Spartans and gave Glos information that would jeopardize Orontes′ position. Under the threat of blackmail, Orontes was forced to make peace with Evagoras in 380 BC. The terms of the treaty was that Evagoras was obligated to pay tribute to the Persian king, but as a subordinate king rather than a slave. Artaxerxes II did not deem the conclusion of the war satisfactory, as it had cost 15,000 talents, and a result Orontes fell into disfavour. Meanwhile, Tiribazos was pardoned and restored to his former position.
Tiribazos now stood higher than ever in the royal favour, and received a promise of the hand of Amestris, the king′s daughter. Artaxerxes, however, reneged on this arrangement, and married Amestris himself. When ca. 370 BC King Artaxerxes reneged on a pledge to Tiribazos once more, this time with respect to Atossa, the youngest of the king′s princesses, Tiribazos could no longer remain loyal to the king and incited Darius, the son of Artaxerxes, to join him in a plot against the king′s life. Tiribazos′ plans were betrayed to Artaxerxes by a eunuch, and the conspirators were found out. Tiribazos offered a desperate resistance to the guards who endeavored to arrest him, and was slain with a javelin. Tiribazos had a son, Arpates, who later killed Artaxerxes′s favored son, Arsames.A very rare and exceptional greek silver stater of Mallos with a superb depiction of Ahura-Mazda.
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