Evagoras I, 411 – 373. Siglos circa 411-373, AR 11.10 g. e u va ko ro in Cypriot characters. Heracles seated r. on a rock covered with a lion’s skin, holding club in r. hand and horn in l. Rev. ba si le o se in Cypriot characters. Goat lying r. Boston suppl. 254. For type, cf. Traité II 1157 (tetrobol). BMC 56-57 (tetrobol). Tziambazis 114 (tetrobol). SNG Copenhagen –. SilCoinCy AA4473 (tetrobol).
Of the highest rarity, only the second and finest specimen known. A magnificent
issue of fine style, lovely old cabinet tone and about extremely fine

Ex Leu 20, 1978, 150 and M&M 64, 1984, 185 sales.

In the second half of the fifth century BC the Teucrid dynasty of Greek kings of Salamis was expelled from the city-kingdom and replaced by Phoenician rulers more obedient to the will of the Persian Great King. Among the exiled members of the dynasty was a youth named Evagoras, who desired to return to power one day. In 411 BC, Evagoras and 50 followers assembled at Soli in Cilicia and secretly crossed to Salamis and took control of the city-kingdom. Knowing that the Persians would eventually try to reassert their influence, Evagoras I tried to forestall the day of reckoning by supporting the Persian fleet against the Spartans at the battle of Knidos (394 BC). He also strengthened his position by forming alliances with Athens and the Egyptian pharaoh Achoris. Through these alliances he was able to expand his influence over the other city-kingdoms of Cyprus and even over parts of Cilicia and Phoenicia. The problematic situation could not go on forever and at last a vast Persian force invaded Cyprus in 382 BC, breaking up Evagoras’ larger Cypriot kingdom and placing him on the defensive. In the following year he was defeated at the naval battle of Kition and forced to escape to Salamis where he was besieged. Evagoras I was ultimately forced to sue for peace, but he was able to get relatively light terms by exploiting the rivalry of the Persian generals. He was praised by the Athenian orator Isocrates as a just Greek king, but came to an ignominious end, murdered by a palace eunuch. Although Heracles had never appeared on the royal coinage of Salamis previously, he is prominent on issues of Evagoras I. The Greek culture hero, here shown seated drinking from a horn at the end of his labours, may perhaps be depicted here as a means of advertising the king’s Hellenic outlook and his desire to be a defender of Greek Cyprus from Persia. If Heracles is here intended as an indicator of Evagoras’ ”Greekness” it is a little ironic that the weight standard used for the coin is that of the siglos (shekel).