This is a coin from the 2022 Syrian group posted on eBay last year that I acquired as almost an afterthought. It certainly is crude and in all likelihood an Eastern imitation owl, with an off center obverse and a crudely rendered owl on the reverse. However, on examination, there seems to be a character, possibly an Aramaic zayin or Z on the owl's leg. Eastern imitation owl, 4th century BC. From the 2022 Syrian group. 16.88 grams Here's an enlargement of the portion on the reverse: Could this be an Aramaic character, or just a die break or chip? It seems quite deliberately engraved into the die, to me. What do you think? Thanks
Hi @robinjojo, Have you seen any other Eastern owls with any letters on the reverses? If yes, I would think this might be one too. Otherwise, I lean towards a die break. - Broucheion
Thanks. That's a possibility. In my experience the characters, unless they are countermarks, tend to occur individually, possibly to denote a city of origin, such as Gaza, or a mint worker marking a die for another purpose, such as showing authorization for the coin to legally circulate within a certain area, or signifying that the metal content meets an official standard, sort of like an assayer mark on a Spanish colonial or mainland cob. These are just guesses on my part.
Nice owl, but I'm not convinced there is an Aramaic letter on the owl's leg. The dies are very worn, there are scratches on Athena's nose and eye, and in the field right to the owl. If a letter had been added on purpose, it would have been added in the field, on a flat surface, not where no one would notice it.
Yes, I was thinking about the fact that this character is on the owl's leg, rather than the field. It could be a die break or an engraving error. My one single character owl has the character on the cheek of Athena. Removed from a NGC slab, which did not have a notation the obvious character. Philistia imitation owl, Aramaic nun obverse. Reverse test cuts. Fine. 17.2 grams
Nice specimen of the classical owl with levantine test-cuts. Is the Aramaic letter engraved in the obv. die or is it a lightly struck countermark? Looking at the picture, I don't know if it is a nun, or a daleth. The daleth is sometimes traced like this on Philistian 4th c. BC coinage: (Coins of 'Ashdod : " ' Sh D D "; Gitler and Tal, Philistian Coins, p. 81)
When I initially saw the coin on eBay, it was in the NGC slab, the photo quality not terribly good. I thought that the character might be a countermark. However, after the owl arrived and removed from the slab, it was apparent to me that this is not the case. I don't see even the slightest indication of a depression field around the character, which is level at the base with the coin's surface and raised in a manner similar to the other devices on the coin. As for the question of whether this character is a nun, or a daleth, you could very well be right that it is the latter. I am by no means an expert in this complex subject to Aramaic and other ancient languages. Thanks for the input. You are my go-to on this very "iffy" topic and I appreciate your comments.
