Phoenician stater

I have recently purchased this Arados Phoenician stater from my local coin dealer for $495 Aus.

The dealer prepared a fairly detailed description, I typically like to cross check for myself just in case they were mistaken. However, I have only been able to find very little information on this type (even though I don’t think they are all that rare). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Welcome to CoinTalk, very nice stater with great detail of the galley, not my area of expertise but someone will help. Look forward to seeing your other purchases down the track. Have you looked here.....https://cngcoins.com/Search.aspx?IS..._TYPE_ID=1&VIEW_TYPE=0&MAX_COUNT=10000&PAGE=1.

 

Seems pricey but BEAuuuutiful new coin. What'er the deets?
And what's that amazing avatar?
Ps, WELCOME to CT!

 

This looks close. https://cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=221683

PHOENICIA, Arados. Uncertain king. Circa 348/7-339/8 BC. AR Stater (18mm, 10.43 g, 7h). Laureate head of Ba‘al-Arwad right / Phoenician pentekonter right; three waves below. Betlyon 26; HGC 10, 35

 

I have a similar piece, of Girastart (Gerostratos), dated to Year 5 (335/4 BC), just before the conquest by Alexander:

 

Thanks, I thought the price wasn’t that bad but I could be wrong, it’s about $340 American. My avatar could quite possibly be my favourite coin I own, Carthaginian gold stater.

 

Hey, I know what that little gem is! Yours is very nice!

And welcome to Coin Talk Ancients...

Here is mine since you gave me an excuse to post it! One of my favorites, but I love ALL my children the same!


Africa, Zeugutana, Carthage
Anonymous BCE 310-290
EL Dekadrachm - Stater
18.5mm, 7.27g
Obverse: Wreathed head of Tanit left, eleven pendants on necklace; pellet before neck
Reverse: Horse standing right; three pellets below exergue line
Ref: MAA 12; SNG Copenhagen 136

 

This is what the dealer suggested, they are very knowledgeable. Some how I feel it is just not quite right.

PHOENICIA, Árados: Silver Stater struck circa 400-350 BC in the Hellenistic city of Árados (Greek: Ἄραδος), Anonymous King Issue. Obverse: Laureated Head of Bearded Deity, likely Ba'al-Arwad, facing right. Reverse: Galley of ship sailing right upon waves below, Pataikos the bandy-legged dwarf deity at the prow as a phylactic symbol of protection, ‘MA’ in Arameic above.

 

I love it! Thank you for sharing.

 

Nice coin and the gold stater is spectacular!

I have a little something that was minted in Arados, Phoenicia. But that was a few decades later under new management

 

Very cool! I named my son after that new manager (as have millions of others!).

 

Sons or coins? (Sorry, couldn't resist )

Edit: Didn't read that properly, I thought you said you have millions of coins. Yes, you are right, it is a very popular name, but again Alexander is a very admired figure globally.

 

Lol, Son.

 

Lol, son.

 

I’m really liking CT. Thanks Gents.

 

Best authority on Arados I found is a member of forvmancientcoins. Goes by the name of Arados.

 

Welcome, that is a very nice coin! CNG is usually accurate for descriptions. Here's a coin that matches yours well from 2012 (yours much nicer in my view).

Phoenicia, Arados, Uncertain king, circa 348/7-339/8 BC, AR Stater
Size: 23mm, 10.50 g, 8h
Obv: Laureate head of Ba‘al-Arwad right
Rev: Phoenician pentekonter right; three waves below
Ref: Betlyon 26, note 104, e; Rouvier 12; SNG Copenhagen -; BMC 59-60

And another from 2009 that looks like it is your coin.

Edit: an interesting article features a coin of your type and discusses the figure on the prow on your reverse

Elayi, J., & Elayi, A. (1986). THE ARADIAN PATAECUS. Museum Notes (American Numismatic Society), 31, 1-5

 

I found this one in my old folders. Looks same design, with possibly Melkart on the obverse. It was also struck at Arados.

 

If you have the money buy it you can't take the money with you anyway but you can take the coin, just kidding. Nice coin...

 

I have one of these and did some research on it when I bought it that you might find useful.

AR Shekel

18.5 mm, 10.45 g

Obverse: Laureate head of Ba'al-Arwad? right, with frontal eye

Reverse: Galley right above waves with row of shields along the bulwark; M A (in Aramaic) above;

E&E-A Group III.1.1; HGC 10, 28.

Settled in the 2nd millennium BC by the Phoenicians, Arados (Greek name) was located three kilometers off the Syrian shore between Lattaquie and Tripolis. Under Phoenician control, it became an independent kingdom called Arvad or Jazirat (the latter term meaning "island"). The island was a barren rock covered with fortifications and houses several stories in height. Just 800m long by 500m wide, it was surrounded by a massive wall with an artificial harbor constructed on the east toward the mainland.

Like most of the Phoenician cities on this coast, it developed into a trading city. Arados had a powerful navy, and its ships are mentioned in the monuments of Egypt and Assyria. In ancient times, it was in turn subject to the Egyptians, Assyrians, and then Persians (539 BC). But local dynasts were maintained until Straton, son of Gerostratos, king of Arados, submitted to Alexander the Great in 333 B.C.

The earliest coins of Arados (430-410 BC) depict a marine deity, human to the waist, bearded with plaited hair, with the lower body of a fish. Scholars aren't sure exactly who this deity is. Some believe the merman is Dagôn, associated with being the god of grain in the middle Euphrates and old Babylonia. Another option is Yamm (Yam), an ancient god from the semitic word meaning sea. He was worshipped by the semitic religions including Phoenicia and the Canaanites. Today, Elavi and Elayi's (2005) identification of the deity as Ba’al Arwad - a local manifestation of the ubiquitous Semitic god of weather and fertility - seems to be the most commonly accepted interpretation. In later Aradian coinage (like the example above) a Hellenized depiction of the deity’s head replaces the half-man, half-fish figure.

Most Aradian coins bear the same two Phoenician letters mem (M) and aleph (A or ´). In addition, during the first half of the fourth century (until 333 BC), the inscription M A was followed by a letter, some eight or nine in total. The most logical option is that this third letter represents different Aradian kings. This, plus parallels with contemporary Salaminian coinage, suggests that M A stands for “King” of Arwad rather than “Kingdom” (the more common interpretation). Because the coin above lacks a third letter designating a specific king, it’s most likely an earlier example. On the other hand, the more Hellenized portrait argues for a later date.