One of my collection’s subsets is the late 5th – 4th century BC, tiny silver Levantine-produced coins which imitate the Athenian owl type. Numismatic evidence reveals the influence and impact of Hellenization through how widespread such Athena/owl types became. The fact that these Athenian imitative types extended down to such tiny coins is telling in that regard as well, but it also fosters consideration of the craftmanship required (a) to produce such tiny slivers of silver in the first place, and (b) to include so much detail. Below are four coins from this subset of my collection. Philistia: Attributed to the general region of Philistia, as no certain mint location is readily determinable. SNG ANS Part 6, Palestine – South Arabia, #18-19. Gitler & Tal, 2006a; 152-153, Type IX.1O. .908 gr. & 8.5 mm. Yehud: The replacement of ‘AOE’ with ‘YHD’ shows the mint area as Yehud Medinata. Notice also that the usual olive spray was replaced with the lily symbol for Jerusalem. Hendin 1050. Meshorer TJC 6a. Fontanille YHD 05. HGC 10, 434-438. .58 gr. & 8.1 mm. Samaria: Attribution to Samaria is via hoard evidence. Note that ‘AOE’ has been replaced with the name Abdiel. (Sorry, this image is lower quality.) Meshorer and Qedar, Samarian Coinage, 1999, #59. .71 gr. & 7 mm. And last but far from least… Gaza: Although the Gaza mint is often cited as the production source of many of these small coins of Philistia, the presence of the Mem (‘Marnas’) on this example provides a certain attribution to Gaza. Such Gaza-marked examples are rarely offered for sale. Gitler & Tal V.21O Hendin GBC 5yth ed., #1014 .67 gr. & 9 mm. Does anybody else have 5th-4th century BC Levantine tiny silver coins from Yehud, Samaria, Gaza, Philistia, or other Levantine mints that imitate the Greek Athena/owl type?
I have no idea how to tell one imitation from another. This one has terrible surface issues. At 0.22 grams I am calling it a hemiobol allowing for a considerable loss to chipping/erosion. Is there any way to narrow down where it originated?
@dougsmit I tried, but just cannot see any sure indication that would point to a specific geographic area. Sorry!
This one is also a Levantine imitation (400-450 B.C.). But it's a tetradrachm, possibly minted in Antioch.
I have several but evidently I haven't photographed them as of yet. Here's a big brother to your obols though. PHILISTIA (PALESTINE), Uncertain mint. Mid 5th century-333 BC. AR Drachm (15mm, 3.95 g, 12h). Imitating Athens. Rotated 145 degrees and overstruck with same dies. O: Helmeted head of Athena right, with profile eye R: Owl standing right, head facing; olive sprig left; all within incuse square. -Gitler & Tal IX.1D; HGC 10. The Persian Empire evidently did not care about the fiscal policy of its subjects, and allowed them to choose their own coin-types, so long as the taxes were paid.
@7Calbrey I really like the reverse on your example! @Nemo Interesting style. Especially the obverse. And yes, it seems the Persians did allow obedient subjects more freedoms than most occupiers. The coin types of their Yehud Medinata province demonstrates this as well. Particularly the types which Fontanille & Gitler have termed the "Patriotic Series".
Those are very interesting examples. Based on the weights, they appear to be drachm to obol. The Arabian imitations are expressed as unit and fractions thereof. Do you know why? Here's the obverse of a tetradrachm that I purchased last year. I'm sorry, but I can find the image of the reverse (need to replace it). Actually I need to replace the obverse image as well. There's a long mark on the cheek that seems quite intentional. I don't think it is an error or a die break. The coin weighs 17.1 grams. I think it is of eastern origin but that's about the extent of my attribution. Thanks
@robinjojo My central collecting theme overlaps many cultures over a wide period of time. That results in my being somewhat of a "jack of all trades; master of none". With that caveat stated . . . The weight of the 4 examples I posted above are less than 1 gram a piece. A classic drachm would be around 4.3 grams. So none of the 4 could be considered a drachm. An obol is 1/6th of a drachm, or about .7 gram. 2 of the 4 coins I posted are right at the .7 gram mark so they each could be considered an "obol". The Yehud example is virtually spot on the weight considered to be a "gerah" (a Hebrew unit of weight). This Hebrew term lines up with the fact the coin was produced in the area around Jerusalem. The Arabic term for "gerah" is "ma'ah". In some circles the two terms could perhaps be synonyms. And as to your question: No, I do not. Anybody??? I like the obverse of your tetradrachm! Tight flan, but well-centered. Metal looks good and smooth. No test cuts. Due to the small image it is hard to get a read on the line you mentioned, but from what I can see it does look like an intentional part of the die rather than a die break. If you have a larger image I'd like to see it. (I'd also like to see the reverse image if you find it or snap a picture of it yourself.)
Sorry for the long delay with this reply. Here are some images of what I think are Levantine imitations of the Attica tetradrachm First, here is a better image of the coin I posted previously in this thread. The weight is 17.18 grams. The symbol on the cheek appears to be an Aramaic "Pe" with a slight hook towards the ear. I don't think it is a engraving error; it seems too intentional. There is slight porosity on the obverse. There is also some extra metal on the edge that appears to be remnants of the flan's casting sprue. The second example was purchased from a seller in Israel. Based on the obverse style, I think this coin came from Gaza. It is quite dark, with a typical "hoard" patina. This coin weighs 17.1 grams. The third coin also came out of Israel, and it is another Gaza owl, in my opinion. This example also weighs 17.1 grams on my cheap scale. Now it is entirely possible that these coins came from some other mint in the region. This whole field of imitative owls is an evolving one. I do have other imitative owls from other sources which I hope to post in the future.
@robinjojo Very nice examples! Thanks for sharing images, and I look forward to seeing additional ones. Yes, "evolving" is an apt word choice. The ability to perceive nuances of style as it varies by region is essential to excel in this area. I do not have that capacity. @Krf2bama Will you share some examples? Would anyone be able to suggest a reference book or article within this numismatic genre? I was able to finally acquire a copy of the following excellent reference which dovetails nicely into this area: Gitler, Haim. The Coinage of Philistia of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries BC. A Study of the Earliest Coins of Palestine. (Milan, 2006). 376 pages, 17 plates, illustrated throughout. Casebound.
Thank you. I'll see if I can locate a copy of this book. Here's one more coin, one that has been posted before a couple of times. I believe it is also from the Levant. It is, I think, a fourée core, with specks of silver plating still adhering. It also came to me from the sell from Israel, and it was completely thickly encrusted. I've been slowly cleaning the coin with distilled water and wooden toothpicks (gone through a box almost). It's a work in progress and here's what I have so far. The coin weighs 12.6 grams. I notice that this coin has a squarish flan, very similar to other examples posted on this thread. An interesting aspect of this coin is an apparent facing figure, left arm raised, with a headdress(?) on the obverse. I do not believe this figure to be a counterstamp, rather it is part of the coin's original design. This is a somewhat older image, and the design is a little clearer now, but I don't have the coin for a re-shoot. Once I get it back I'll take some more pics.
