Hello everyone, Recently, I picked up this Mazaios stater that was too amazing to pass up. First, it has the traditional lion taking down a bull. Then there's the speculation that it was the inspiration for Alexander the Great's famous silver coinage. Finally, there's the city walls, which David Hendin suspects are the newly completed walls of Jerusalem. Those three things together on one coin were too much for me. But, getting to the walls, Hendin refers to the text "Ebra Nahara" on the coin, which means "the other side of the river." This term is often used in biblical terms for Judea. If so, then this would be a depiction of the second temple. However, this has raised several questions for me. Among them are: Let's suppose this is Jerusalem. Then, is this the oldest surviving depiction of the city of Jerusalem? If these are the walls of the second temple, are there any other images of it from before it was destroyed? Regardless whether this is Jerusalem, is this the first depiction of an actual city on a coin? Why is this coin generally cheaper than those containing only the lion and the bull, which are more common? Note that Balakros minted similar coins, but with his signature club. My understanding is Mazaios' coins were minted first, before Alexander the Great invaded. He then installed Balakros as satrap of Cilicia, and Balakros minted some of the same coins. SNG Levante 113; SNG France 360 10.11 g
That's a very intriguing reverse, a nice obverse as well. Architectural references on a coin this early must be very rare. I don't know of anything of this nature in an earlier coin, except, possibly this very rare coin (not my coin, by the way - I wished!): Double Shekel from Phoenicia, Sidon mint, issued by King Ba'Ishallim I 420-410 BCE The reverse on this double shekel does show a wall with battlements, as well as a galley or trireme, but I don't think the wall refers to any specific city.
What an amazing coin! This looks to disprove question #3, since this looks a lot like a city-scape - almost placing you in the center of the action. Since this is a seascape, it's logical to conclude that the Phoenician coin does not depict Jerusalem. However, based on the similarity of the towers, I wonder if the walls of most cities back then were similar - or at least similarly depicted. It makes me wonder if no particular city is being depicted on Mazaios' coin - but the protection of the walls were the message. I've also wondered whether the walls were from some mountain city or fortress, since they seem to snake around.
I've wondered if the walls and battlements might be a reference to Sidon, one of the major port cities in that region, and the trireme symbolizing the king's naval prowess. This is sheer speculation on my part with regards to the attribution to Sidon.
