Silk Road Native Silver - Samarkand Sogdia AR "Archer" Obols

So I bought these nearly two years ago, but never took them out of the seller's 2x2 for images.

All of these coins are from the Silk Road, in historical eastern Sogdia near Samarkand, located in Uzbekistan today. They are anonymous, scarce-ish, and a total enigma... some believe they were made in the last few centuries BC, while some argue a date as late as the 6th century AD. They usually weigh about 0.4-0.5 grams, and larger denominations (Hyrcodes types) are rather rare, indicating these were intended to supplement imported Greek, Roman, Parthian, Hunnic or Sassanian silvers.

The obverse features a king's bust left, usually bearded with wavy hair and highly stylized. Early iterations have degenerate Greek or Sogdian legends.

The reverse is an archer, originally with the legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY. I cannot figure out which Seleucid coin these purport to copy. The legend is quickly lost to dots, the archer dons a rather Kushan-looking coat, and somewhere along the evolutionary path the archer's head is lost. Most seem to place the archer's hand on his hip, whole some appear to be holding something.

There are also iterations that replace the obverse portrait with a Sogdian legend or monogram. Early types sometimes have a stylized horse head rather than an archer. Those types are an order of magnitude more expensive, so I only have the archer type to share today

Coin 1
An unfortunately broken example covered with horn silver, we can make out the earlier style portrait, and the archer may have a head. The archer seems to be holding something (Arrow, scepter, or palm?) Over his shoulder.



Coin 2
Also broken, we can see the stylization taking place.


Coin 3
Coins that are fully intact are actually the exception, not the rule. Here we see the bust has a small moustache, and the archer has simplified into an hour glass outline. He is holding something at his hip, but it displays as just dots.


Coin 4
Similar to the last one, but we can see traces of the Sogdian legend in front of the face. The archer again is holding a string of dots, but now they wrap around the hem of the coat.


Coin 5
This one is in exceptionally high relief for the type! We can see traces of the legend here, but the bust is more stylized, and has no cheek. The archer is in relief, rather than outlines.


Coin 6
Finally we get to some extreme stylization; my mind can't even sort out the obverse until I get the orientation right! Again the archer is in relief rather than outlines, and appears to be holding something at his hip. Pellets surround the archer; probably vestigial bits of the legend.



Thanks for looking, and feel free to chime in with any examples you may have!