As you all know I don't know ancients very well. These are my latest buys from a well know CT member and dealer. Thank you John for the use of your photos and descriptions. Without them I would be lost. These are great in hand. Better than I expected or could have hoped for. Hope you enjoy them as well. Arados, modern day Arwad, is a tiny island off the coast of Syria, with a fascinating history. It was originally settled by the Phoenicians, and is cited as one of the first republics in history. Arados boasted a powerful navy and was well-situated as a center of trade. Its inhabitants are mentioned in the early lists of Genesis (10:18), and Ezekiel (27:8,11) refers to its seamen and soldiers in the service of Tyre. The obverse of this coin presents a bust of Ba’al-Arwad, a local manifestation of the ubiquitous Semitic god of weather and fertility. The reverse pictures a galley and waves, with a date above, in this case Year 5 of the reign of king Gerashtart. (Arados had its own kings during the 4th century BC, but it was under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire.) These staters are quite rare. The flan is oval-shaped, and quite chunky, almost like an over-sized siglos. In fact, the Achaemenid influence is unmistakable. Many of the flans on these coins have weird shapes. So with round dies and irregular flans, one is frequently resigned to missing detail, but on this example, the face of the Ba’al is present in good style and commanding expression, and the reverse was struck in such a way as to capture a good part of the galley and waves below, and all five strokes of the date. Onto the second coin: Istros, or Histria, was important port city in on the Black Sea, situated near the mouth of the Danube River. What is the meaning of the two heads on this coin, one inverted? The motif does not appear anywhere else in Greek art, and the coiners of Istros left us no clues by way of an inscription. They obviously represent some sort of duality. David Sear suggests the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux, or the rising and setting sun, or perhaps the two branches of the Danube River. As with most mythological symbols, the interpretations are various and manifold. Equally mysterious is the eagle grasping a dolphin. Does it refer to the dominance of one town over another? Does it have anything to do with the river god of Istros? Things only a time machine could solve (and fluency in Classical Greek of course). In the meantime, read Doug Smith’s very nice page here. This is one of the most distinctive of Greek drachms, and my coin has wonderful centering, good surfaces, a bold strike, and great style.
Well, it's an Ex: @red_spork coin. I was very lucky to be in the right place and time to buy it from him. To this day it is still one of my favorites. The double face theme and eagle and dolphin combo are stunningly beautiful. I should add that the coin has a larger provenance including Agora Auctions, among a few others. However, it's the Red_Spork provenance I really care about. I think it is neat owning coins that used to belong to other members here, just as much as I love passing some of my coins to others in Cointalk for them to enjoy.
Excellent coins! Mine are the same but very different which is something I love about ancients. They can be much more individual than the machine made modern issues. My Arados was struck on a similar oval flan but oriented differently. I got no water on the flan at all. Was one or the other of our coins an accident or did they jut slap the blanks down randomly so you get what chance dictated? My first Istros shows the variation with the inverted head on the right rather than the left. I hope everyone realizes that turning the coin upside down will not make this difference. Why are some one way and some the other? I have no idea. My second one is back to the obverse like the OP coin (but not as good style) but shows the reverse design facing right while most are found facing left. Why? I know nothing!
I don't have an Istros but I have this Phoenicia, Arados Coin: Silver Stater - Laureate head of Baál Arwad with full eye right Phoenician letters aleph (´), aleph (´) & mem (M) above - Galley sailing right above waves (three lines) with figure of Pataikos right, all within dotted square border Mint: Arados (348/7-339/8 BC) Wt./Size/Axis: 9.22g / 17-19mm / - References: cf. HGC 10, 32-6 Cf. Betlyon 26
very nice @Collecting Nut ! I only have Istros... Moesia Istros AR Drachm 19mm 5.9g 4th C BCE Facing male hds inverted - Sea Eagle dolphin K Rausch 19 17
Here is my Phoencian coin from Arados. The reverse is similar to yours, I think. Phoenicia, Arados, late 5th century BC, 3.16g, 1/3 stater or tetrobol, 14mm Obv: Marine deity (Ba’al-Arwad? Or mer-man?) swimming right, holding two dolphins by their tails; Phoenician "MA" above Rev: Galley right; hippocamp right below Sear GCV #5968, SNG Copenhagen 4 Test cut This example is poor but I feel lucky to have. Nice ones are expensive.
A few facts about Arados. Arados is now called Arwad and home to 3000 people. It is a tiny island, apparently just a rock 740m long by 400m wide; 0.2 square kilometers. New York’s Central Park is 3.4 square kilometers – 17 times larger! Although the inhabitants collected rainwater, Arados depended upon her possessions on the mainland for water and food. When the mainland water supply was cut off by an enemy a vessel was moored in the channel midway between the island and the continent. A leather hose would be lowered to the sea floor, where it would meet a natural freshwater spring. (George Rawlinson, History of Phoenicia (1889), p. 42) cites ancient authors Strabo and Lucretius for the ancient practice and Ernest Renan for its continuation into the 19th century.)
I was tempted on both of those coins @Collecting Nut, but too many irons in the fire. Both are really interesting. Congrats. It's not surprising that I got this coin from John a while back also from Arados: PHOENICIA ARADOS AR Tetradrachm OBVERSE: Turreted, veiled, and draped bust of Tyche right REVERSE: Nike standing left, holding wreath and palm frond; in left field, ZOP (date) above Aramaic B above ΘЄ; all within wreath Arados CY 177 (83/82 BC) 14.91g, 27mm Duyrat 3536–49; HGC 10, 72; DCA 772; BMC 239 Ex JAZ Numismatics And my example from Istros: THRACE, ISTROS AR Drachm OBVERSE: Facing male heads, the left inverted (Polydeuces Castor and Pollucs (AKA Dioskuri) REVERSE: Sea-eagle left, grasping dolphin with talons; ISTRIH above, Q between wing and tail, K beneath dolphin Struck at Istros, 400-300BC 5.3g, 19mm AMNG 434
Congrats collecting nut with 2 great new coins , good write up too. Just add another Istros , wonderfull coins imho
