KILIKIA BÖLGESİNDE PERS DÖNEMİ İKTİDAR TEMSİLİ: NÜMİSMATİK VERİLER IŞIĞINDA BİR DEĞERLENDİRME
REPRESENTATION OF POWER IN THE PERSIAN PERIOD IN THE CILICIA REGION: AN EVULATION IN THE LIGHT OF NUMISMATIC EVIDENCE

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to evaluate how power representation was constructed in the provincial administrations of the Persian Empire in Anatolia, based on numismatic data from the Persian period in the Cilicia region. Cilicia, strategically located on the Eastern Mediterranean trade networks, was an important region under Persian rule, both economically and administratively. In this context, coins minted in the region are considered not only as a medium of exchange but also as symbolic tools through which the central Persian ideology was reproduced in conjunction with local elements. The core data set of the study consists of Persian period coins originating from Cilicia, which have been published in the literature and whose provenance is known. The iconographic elements, inscriptions, weight standards, and minting centers on these coins are evaluated together in the context of the relationship between power representation and economic circulation. The analyses show that the Persian administration in Cilicia adopted a language of power that was compatible with local cultural and economic dynamics rather than a uniform representation. This approach reveals that coins served a dual function: as ideological tools that increased the visibility of central authority and as economic elements that contributed to the functioning of regional and international trade. By emphasizing the analytical potential of numismatic data in understanding imperial-provincial relations, this study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the processes of power representation and economic integration in Anatolia during the Persian period, using the example of Cilicia.

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