I won this coin last month in a John Anthony auction: Arabia Felix, Himyarite Kingdom. AR Unit or quinarius (1.2 g, 15 mm, scyphate). Raydan mint. 'Amdan Bayan Yanaf (c. 50-150 AD). Obverse: Male head right. Reverse: Small male head right, to right staff (?), above and behind head inscription in Sabaean 'MDN BYN YNF ('Amdan Bayan Yanaf, YNF written as monogram), below RYDN (Raydan). Sear Greek Imperial 5717, SNG ANS 6 (Palestine-South Arabia): 1583. The Himyarites were one of the main kingdoms active in the southern Arabian peninsula in the region known to the Romans as Arabia Felix (Happy Arabia), which roughly covers the modern territory of Yemen. While calling that impoverished and war-torn region "happy" today would seem perverse, it was not always so. During the first few centuries AD, the local climate was less arid and supported extensive agriculture including frankincense and myrrh, two aromatic plant products which were prized throughout the Mediterranean world for their use in perfumes, incense, and medicines. The region also traded with eastern Africa, including the Axumite Kingdom. The Himyarite Kingdom was active from about 110 BC to 525 AD, when they were conquered by Axum. The Himyarites seem to have had their own Semitic language called Himyarite (possibly related to modern Amharic of Ethiopia), but inscriptions on coins and elsewhere are written in Sabaean, the Old South Arabian language of their neighbors and eventual subjects. The kingdom was originally polytheistic, but around 380 AD the kings converted to Judaism, perhaps in an attempt to maintain neutrality between their powerful Christian and Zoroastrian neighbors. The most common Himyarite coins are of this type, issued around 50- 150 AD. The standard denomination or unit is often referred to as a quinarius, as it is about the same size and weight as the Roman coin, although we don't know what the local name of the coin was. Several different kings are named in the inscriptions, but by far the most common are 'Amdan Bayan and 'Amdan Bayan Yanaf. (It is not even certain if these are actually two different kings, or just two versions of one king's name.) The coins are scyphate (cup-shaped), with the reverse side in the concave portion. This specimen is partly flattened out, creating the large flan crack. Coins of this type are moderately common; I paid $65 for this coin in a John Anthony auction, which is somewhat low for this type. Please post your Himyarite or other related coins.
This is my Himyarite, bought it 5 years ago for $ 85 at VAuctions, one of my first ancient coins after a pause of thirty years. Himyarites AR about 1st century AD. Obv. Man’s head with diademe to the left. Rev. Bucranium with antelope's horn and plumes. 16.9 mm, 2.44 gr. Cf. SNG ANS 1554-1556. (Seller's info).
Nice one Parthicus, I will have to add mine, I wish I could have bought mine close to the price of yours but it was considerably more.
Nice coin and thanks for bumping this old thread. I missed it the first time around and it's an interesting read.
