This countermark was once thought to be the head of Apollo, but current scholarship assigns it to Cleopatra VII. The evidence seems to fit quite well: similar countermarks are found on coins of Antioch, Chalkis, Seleukia, and Laodicea, and they all occur on types minted during the time Marc Antony was liberally granting those regions to his paramour. It’s one of the few countermarks that can be assigned to a particular historical event with any amount of confidence. Antioch ad Orontes, Semi-Autonomous AE23, 10.77g, 12h, Denomination A; Antioch, after 47 BC Obv.: Laureate head of Zeus right; countermark of Cleopatra Rev.: [A]NTIOΣEΩN [ME]TPOΠOΛ[EΩΣ]; Zeus seated left, holding Nike and scepter, thunderbolt above Reference: Butcher 20, SNG Cop 80
Very interesting! Another type of coin to add to my already too long list. Wouldn't it be fun to try to get one such countermarked coin from each territory?
This entire period in the Levant is fascinating to me. You've got all sorts of events that make for interesting numismatics: the decline of the Seleucids, the birth of Nabataean and Judaean coinage, new autonomous types springing up in a dozen cities, not to mention the relentless encroachment of the Roman Empire. Talk about a recipe for intriguing coins!
sorry for double post again...may as well post a coin. here's a coin from the same era"ish" from chalkis (85-40 bc)..
hey JA..or anyone.....now that i'm looking at my coin....does it have a countermark on the obverse???
Yes, it does. It's the anchor countermark found frequently on Levantine issues, sometimes associated with Seleukid re-monetization.
