Lot 4594

Description

Babylonia, Babylon, Mazaios as Governor under Alexander the Great, (331-328 B.C.) silver stater, (16.222 grams), obv. Baal enthroned to left resting on sceptre, thymiaterion before him, behind Aramaic legend 'Baal tarz', rev. lion walking to left, linear border, exergue line, above Aramaic legend 'Mazdai' above all within linear circle, (S.6139 [£450], BMC 1 [p.180], Mitchiner 180, Indo Greeks type 5). Dark tone with porous obverse field, otherwise good fine/ good very fine with a clear reverse ethnic, very rare.

Ex Noble Numismatics Sale 60 (lot 1968). Mazaios ruled Cilicia for 27 years, until just before the Macedonian conquest, later, under Alexander, he became governor of Babylonia. His surrender of Babylon without resistance probably induced Alexander to appoint him Satrap of Babylon (Alexander was honouring a worthy opponent). His unique position allowed him to issue a new coinage in his name at Babylon. The issue was based on the Attic weight standard (17 grams not 10.8 grams of the Cilician issue). This soon evolved into the regular coinage of Alexander the Great - that of his most prolific mint, Babylon. The issue and its significance is discussed by Bellinger, Alfred R., Essays on the Coinage of Alexander the Great, (NS No.11), New York, 1963, on pages 56ff., and particularly on pp.60-63, who sees this coinage as extremely important and as the precursor to the new 'national' coinage at the empire's new capital. Imhoof-Blumer explanation is that 'Alexander's effort to make the utmost allowance for the oriental point of view is well known. For the silver, the types of the Cilician satrapal issues of Mazaeus, Baaltars in the guise of Zeus and the lion were retained, On the first silver issue struck at Babylon, Mazaeus continued not only the coin types of the Cilician satrapy, but also the inscriptions, which promulgate the figure of Baaltars still little known in the far east'. Very soon after the issue of this rare coinage Mazaeus was induced to give up these inscriptions.