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Posthumous Alexander Tetradrachms of Odessos 35placement of EKA after the Mithridatic issues of the 80's or 70's cannot befollowed.16 An EKA die which unquestionably depicts the „barbarian ruler"shows the minter's link with the earliest magistrates of Group II.17 Twoother EKA dies in the American Numismatic Society (e.g., pl. 5, no. 10),however, are completely different in style from the earlier Group II issues.In general, the engraving is much more crude and sloppy, and the portraitseems to be that of someone other than the „barbarian ruler". It is temptingto identify this portrait as that of Mithridates VI of Pontus (120-63), but thisking cannot have appeared on coins of Odessos before 96 when he himselfhad only just begun to strike. Other differences are to be noted on thereverse of the EKA issue. Now a star begins to appear beneath the throneand the monogram for Odessos is lengthened to OAH, and on one die evento OAHEITON. Of the other issuers, only AFA replaces the Odessosmonogram with letters.EKA shares an obverse die with OEM, also known as OEM' (pl. 5, no.9). Some of their reverse dies are also quite similar, except OEM does notcarry a star beneath the throne. Both magistrates date circa 120-100.The obverse dies of the AAKON minter bear what is universally acceptedas the portrait of Mithridates VI, characterized by wild, free-flowing hairalmost entirely concealing the lion's scalp (pl. 5, no. 12). The „wild hair"portrait did not begin on Mithridates' own coinage in Pontus until after 88;thus, its appearance on issues at Odessos probably did not start until afterthat date. Nor could it have continued long after M. Terentius VarroLucullus reduced and plundered the region around Odessos in 72.18 Consideringthe reduced volume of emissions of Mithridates' own coinagetoward the end of his reign, Price places the Mithridates portrait coinage atOdessos no later than the mid-70's, but a decade earlier is also possible.Whether the monarch's portrait indicates that Odessos as well as Messernbria,Callatis, Istros and Tomis — which were also issuing similar types —were tributary or allied states of Mithridates is not verified by literary orepigraphic sources.19 Theoretically, the relatively large output of AAKS2N(six dies), second only to OE (eight dies), could have been issued to pay asizeable tribute to Pontus in order to carry on warfare with the Romans.However, hoard evidence suggests that Odessos' silver rarely ended up inMithridates' coffers in Asia Minor.16Price, loc. cit., 7, no. 1.17 P. Naster, La collection Lucien de Hirsch (Brussels 1959) 145, no. 872, pl. 46.18For the literary sources for Lucullus' Black Sea campaign see T.R.S. Broughton, TheMagistrates of the Roman Republic (Cleveland, 1968) vol. 2, 118-119. Appian Illyrica 30,specifically lists Odessos among the cities encountered along the proconsul's route.19For the Mithridatic portrait coinages from these cities and the king's influence along thewestern coast of the Black Sea see B.C. McGing, The Foreign Policy of Mithridates VIEupator, King of Pontus (Leiden 1986) 57-58.