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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Collecting Nut, post: 2791783, member: 74863&quot;]As you all know I don&#039;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.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]648687[/ATTACH]</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;Arados, modern day <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwad" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arwad" rel="nofollow">Arwad</a>, 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.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.)</p><p><br /></p><p>These staters are quite rare. The flan is oval-shaped, and quite chunky, almost like an over-sized <i>siglos</i>. 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.</p><p><br /></p><p>Onto the second coin:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]648686[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Istros, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histria_%28ancient_city%29" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histria_%28ancient_city%29" rel="nofollow">Histria</a>, 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 <a href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac64ist.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/feac64ist.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is one of the most distinctive of Greek drachms, and my coin has wonderful centering, good surfaces, a bold strike, and great style.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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