TYPE Ancient Greece, Gaziura (Pontos), under king Ariarathes I of Cappadocia (306-290 BC), silver drachm, 5.05g DESCRIPTION . Obv: Baal of Gaziura seated left, holding eagle and scepter, traces of Aramaic legend behind Rev: Griffin attacking stag, thunderbolt above, [Aramaic inscription "Ariorath" below] REFERENCE: SG 3658v (no thunderbolt) GRADING: F+ / VF, rev. test cut (under wing - away from design), deeply toned, rare ORDER INFO: G2841, $215 A rare type, additionally with an interesting, dynamic and altogether unusual reverse, well preserved (admittedly with a test cut, but under griffin's wing and essentially away from the design). The illustrious figure of the first Ariarathes - founder of the Cappadocian kingdom and a dynasty of some longevity - is interesting in its own right. Having survived Alexander the Great's defeat of the Persians as an independent satrap, he was murdered shortly after the latter's death, his dominion then subjugated - only to gain once again Seleukid recognition some decades later, and eventually surviving with a measure of independence down to Tiberius' time. Contrasted with later Cappadocian issues based on a Greek Seleukid model, the coinage of Ariarathes I retains a distinct style, with older Aramaic legends.