Kherei (circa 433-410 BC, or circa 410-390 BC) was dynast of

Lycia Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğ ...

, ruler of the area of

Xanthos Xanthos or Xanthus, also referred to by scholars as ''Arna'', its Lycian name, (, Lycian: 𐊀𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀 ''Arñna'', , Latin: ''Xanthus'') was an ancient city near the present-day village of Kınık, in Antalya Province, Turkey. The ru ...

, at a time when this part of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

was subject to the Persian, or Achaemenid, Empire. Present-day knowledge of Lycia in the period of

classical antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

comes mostly from archaeology, in which this region is unusually rich. He may have been the dynast to whom was dedicated the Xanthian Obelisk, where he is mentioned in multiple places, although this could more probably be his predecessor Kheriga (''Xeriga'', Gergis in Greek). Kherei may have been Kheriga's brother, and succeeded him.

Coinage

Kherei was among last the Lycian rulers to issue coinage. After 360 BC, the region of Lycia was taken over by the Carian dynast

Mausolus Mausolus ( or , ''Mauśoλ'') was a ruler of Caria (377–353 Common Era, BCE) and a satrap of the Achaemenid Empire. He enjoyed the status of king or dynast by virtue of the powerful position created by his father Hecatomnus ( ), who was the fi ...

. The portrait on the coins of Kherei show the dynast wearing the Achaemenid

satrap A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median kingdom, Median and Achaemenid Empire, Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic empi ...

al headdress. File:DYNASTS of LYCIA. Kherei. Circa 410-390 BC.jpg, Coinage of Kherei. Circa 410-390 BC. ''Obv:'' Helmeted head of Athena. Rev: Head of Kherei, wearing Persian tiara decorated with laurel branch. File:DYNASTS_of_LYCIA._Kherei._Circa_440-30-410_BC.jpg, Coinage of Kherei. Circa 410-390 BC

Coinage

Notes

Further reading