Once upon a time (or more specifically, 332 BCE), there were four little Phoenicians. The first little Phoenician was named Gerostratos of Arados. He built his city of stone on a small island off the coast of what is now Lebanon. Phoenicia, Arados AR StaterKing Gerashtart (Gerostratos) Dated RY 6(?) = 335/334 BCE 10.35g, 18mm, 10h. Laureate head of Ba'al-Arwad to right / Galley to right with [Pataikos on prow], above waves; MA G and date (all in Phoenician) above. Betlyon 29, note 106; DCA 753; HGC 10, 36 Ex collection of Z.P., Austria Ex Roma The second little Phoenican's name was Urimilk III, and his city was named Byblos. He had a very old city, who's name became the Greek word for 'papyrus' and eventually became the root for our words 'bible' and 'bibliography'. His city needed maintenance. Phoenicia, Byblos 'Urimilk IIIAR 1/16 Stater 0.87g, 11mm, 9h Circa 333 BCE Galley to left, containing two hoplites with helmets and round shields; below, Phoenician letters and hippocamp to left / Lion attacking bull to left, Phoenician inscription above. E&E-B Group IV.3.2; HGC 10, 137 Ex Roma The third little Phoenican lived in Sidon, and his name was Straton. His city used to be very grand, but his father had gotten into an argument with the Persians, and their king had knocked their city down and crucified his father. Tens of thousands had died, but he had rebuilt Sidon and it was doing better now. Phoenicia, Sidon AR 1/16 Shekel`Abd`aštart (Straton) I dated RY 6 = 337/6 BCE 0.86g, 9mm, 12h. Phoenician galley to left; IIIIII above, waves below / Persian king or hero, holding dagger and standing to right, fighting lion standing to left; ['B] (in Phoenician) between; all within incuse square. E&E-S Group IV.5.4.c; DCA 866; HGC 10, 263 Ex Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung 2012 Ex Roma 2021 The fourth little Phoenician was Azemilkos of Tyre. His city was a half-kilometer off the coast with fifty meter high walls. In the last two thousand years, no one had conquered it, so Azemilkos slept very well at night. Phoenicia. Tyre. ‘UzzimilkRY 10 = 340/39 BCE Shekel Silver, 20 mm, 8.21 g, 12 h Deity, holding reins in his right hand and bow in his left, riding hippocamp to right above two lines of waves; below, dolphin right. Rev. Owl standing right, head facing; crook and flail in background; to right, date and ' (in Phoenician). DCA 918. E&E-T 1146-8. HGC 10, 349 Ex collection of Dr. A. Drakul. Ex Leu Then along came the big bad Alexander the Great. He hadn't even reached Arados when Gerostratos' son met him on the road. "Let's not get into all the huffing and puffing stuff," said his son. "Here's the keys to the city, the harbor, the spa, my house, and anything else you need. Arados is yours." Alexander was very happy, so he continued to Byblos. Urimilk III met him outside and surrendered the city. Alexander was excited to see this ancient city, then moved on. At Sidon, Straton looked up from the rubble. "Sidon is yours," he said. "Please don't be mean like the Persians." And Alexander wasn't mean. He provided a governor to help rebuild the city, then continued to Tyre. There, he asked to pray at a temple in the city, but Azemilkos refused to let the Macedonians in. "This city is impregnable," said Azemilkos. "Do your worst." So, Alexander the Great huffed and he puffed and he besieged the city by land and water for nine months, during which he built a causeway to the island, then toppled the walls, destroyed the city, killed 6000 soldiers, crucified another 2000, and sold the rest into slavery. Feel free to show your own Phoenician coins!
No Phoenician coins other than the Trajan/Melqart from Tyre I just posted in another thread, but I love the story!
Love this retelling of an old story! Had me laughing all the way through as I read it to my wife. Sadly I have no ancients to Huff and Puff about, one day perhaps, but I love yours!
..i have a ancient Greek/Phoenicia purdy coin from the 1 cent. BC...i thought about this one for hotwheelsearls thread but i didn't have it uploaded on this computer yet..thanks for the inspiration! Ae Greek Tyre/Galley Phoenicia 20mm, 5.50gms
I wonder if avarice and brutality are permanent characteristics of homo sapiens, or if we'll ever evolve into something more enlightened.
Hilarious and enlightening pretty usual And great coins Here's a Phoenician of mine. The king must be strong to fist fight a lion, right?:
This is my favorite Phoencian shekel, from Bybos, 435-425 BC. Ex. CNG Note the incuse ram, facing right, under the vulture on the reverse. This coin has wonderful imagery, both Egyptian and Greek.
That is an unusually well distributed one. They are rare with all the nose, all the legend, all the ship and good water. On mine: What water? I'd rather have a Fine well centered than Mint State missing face and reverse details.
Cool story. My set from those four cities is more Roman provincial than Greek. PHOENICIA, Arados AR Shekel. 10.48g, 23.8mm (15.4mm min). Circa 420-400 BC. E&E-A Group III.1.1, C13; HGC 10, 29. O: Laureate head of Ba’al-Arwad right. R: Galley right, Pataikos on prow, above waves; M A (in Aramaic) above. DIADUMENIAN AE22. 11.08g, 22mm. PHOENICIA, Byblus, AD 217 AD. Cf. Rouvier 699; BMC 40-3. O: M OΠ ΔIAΔVMENIANOC KAI, bareheaded and cuirassed bust right. R: BYB - ΛOV IEPAC, Astarte wearing a polos standing facing, carrying a spear, foot on prow, being crowned by Nike on short column to right; all within distyle temple with a fancy arched roof. PHOENICIA, Sidon. Pseudo-autonomous issue AE Triassarion. 12.42g, 24.2mm. PHOENICIA, Sidon, CY 227 = AD 116/7. SNG Cop 247. O: Turreted, veiled and draped bust of city-goddess to right; behind, [aplustre]; before, star. R: ΙΕΡΑΣ / ΣΙΔΩΝΟΣ, Cart of Astarte : covered two-wheeled vehicle facing slightly right, spherical baetyl set on a base within; ZKΣ (date) below. ELAGABALUS AE28. 12.6g, 28mm. PHOENICIA, Tyre, circa AD 218-222. Rouvier 2375; BMC 409; Price & Trell 748 (for rev. type). O: [IMP CAES] M AV ANTONIN[VS AVG], laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: [TVRIORVM], Dido overseeing the building of Carthage; she stands on the right, holding a rule and a transverse sceptre, facing left towards an arched city gate flanked by two towers, palm tree to her right; above the gate a mason works; below, another a worker digs with a pick, legend [∆ƐI-∆Ω] to his left and right; murex shell in upper field. Ex @TIF Collection
Gerostratos of Arados could have defended his city with some secret weapon : but the other cities were doomed: Byblos' galley disappeared in the fog... so did Sidon's galley leaving the harbour lined with the city-walls: At Tyre it was different: But riding a winged hippocamp did not deter Alexander from besieging the city, which eventually fell with all the grim consequences... The story is not finished! Alexander attacked also Gaza, who resisted several months. The Gazans disguised themselves as Athenians, but that didn't fool Alexander. Gaza was eventually taken, and its acropolis completely razed. In the end, all those Phoenician cities minted Alexander coins, like this tiny unpublished obol that must be from Arados or Berytos:
