Coins of the Pisidia region

Today's cities of Burdur and Isparta and the mountainous region north of Antalya was called Pisidia in the antique age. It was bordered by Phrygia, Lyconia, Pamphylia, Lycia and Caria. Since prehistoric times, there have been many settlements in this region. The fact that the region was far from the sea and was a mountainous area, helped the region's warrior people to protect their freedom against the Lydians and the Persians. Although Alexander the Great was welcomed like a saviour in Lycia and Pamphylia, he was met with a boycott from the Pisidian cities, especially at Termessos and Sagalassos, which reflects the geographical facts.

Pisidian cities, except for Selge and Etenna, began minting coins in the 1st century BC. Selge began minting coins much earlier, in the 5th century BC. The "staters" which were minted in the 4th century BC in Selge are very similar to those of Aspendos, of the "wrestler/ throwing from a sling" type. Together with this, the city was known by the symbol of the "astragalos" (anklebone). Its inscription was very similar to the writing on the coins of Aspendos in the Pamphylian language. This shows that the die markers worked in both cities for a period of time.

Etenna was further south. The obverse of the "staters" minted in Etenna towards the end of the 4lh century BC are similar to the wrestler "staters" of Aspendos and Selge. The difference between them is that there was a figure holding a sickle and an inscription "Etenneon" (ethnicon) which symbolized the people of the city. The cities of Selge and Etenna also minted coins of smaller units, besides the "staters". In the period of the Roman Empire, together with a general peace, colonial cities were built in the region to romanize the Pisidian people. Cities such as Kremna, Komama, Antiocheia. Olbasa and Parlais were both the military bases of Rome and also centers from which Roman language and culture was spread. These cities were represented by their own coinage. It is seen that the economic regression of the Pisidian cities in the 4th century BC was reflected also in the coins of the region.