(BC 182-149) Prusias II - Tetradrachm

Prusias II Cynegos, 182-149 BC. AR Tetradrachm (16.79g, 12h), Nikomedeia mint. Head of Prusias right, with slight beard and wearing winged diadem / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΠΡΟΥΣΙΟΥ, Zeus standing left, half draped, crowning king's name with an olive wreath held in his right hand and holding a long scepter in his left; to left, eagle standing left on thunderbolt over monogram. aEF. PGB coll.

Prusias II was a king about whom little good can be said. His epithet means “the Hunter” and that was the activity he liked most. As his reign went on, he became more and more disliked; he was killed after his much more attractive son Nikomedes revolted against him and took over the throne to universal acclaim.