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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 24661303, member: 83845"]I was recently very happy to add an interesting coin with a provenance from the Stoecklin Collection.  This coin was struck under the Persian satrap, Mazaios.  Mazaios is most well known for surrendering the city of Babylon to Alexander the Great in exchange for an assurance that the city would not be sacked. After this he was named Satrap of Babylon by Alexander in exchange for his cooperation and advice. This coin was struck before Alexander's invasion while Mazaios was satrap of Cilicia and the levant. Hopefully you will all find my research on this coin useful and interesting. [ATTACH=full]1572136[/ATTACH] CILICIA, TarsusIssued under the Persian Satrap MazaiosAR stater, Tarsus mint, struck ca. 361-334 BCDia.: 23.00 mmWt.: 10.39 g  Obv.: (“Ba’altarz” written in Aramaic) Ba’altarz seated l., holding eagle-tipped scepter in extended r. hand; to l., grain ear and grape bunch above L; below throne, M. Rev.: (“Mazaios who is over Beyond the River and Cilicia” written in Aramaic) Lion pouncing l., attacking a bull collapsing to r.; below, above crenellated walls. Ref.: Hendin GBC6 6658; Casabonne Series 4, Group A. SNG France 360. SNG Levante 113. Ex W. M. Stoecklin, Winterthur, Switzerland, acquired prior to 1981; Ex Obolos 8, lot 318; Formerly slabbed by NGC graded Choice VF, strike 4/5, surface 3/5, NGC n. <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/tel:6376589-009" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/tel:6376589-009">6376589-009</a>. Obverse IconographyThe obverse of this coin shows the god Ba’al seated on a throne holding a scepter. The Aramaic inscription “Ba’altarz” names this god explicitly as Ba’al of Tarsus. In the Northwest Semitic Languages (Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramaic etc.) Ba’al meant “Lord” or “Master” and was used as an epithet for many different gods. This can make identifying which god is being referenced somewhat confusing. Due to the later association with Zues (discussed below), I think it is clear that the god being referenced here is the storm god Hadad. This is the same Ba’al that is referenced in the biblical story of Elijah. After a great drought Elijah challenges the priests of Ba’al to a contest of making a sacrifice of a bull without lighting the altar. When the priests of Ba’al fail in this task, Yahweh sends fire from the heavens and burns the alter set up by Elijah.  Soon after Yahweh sends rain to end the drought which is an important symbolic victory because of Ba’al Hadad’s association with rain, storms and fertility. Numismatically, this coin is also important because the iconography of the seated Ba’al is taken up and used almost exactly as a reverse type by Alexander the Great for his silver issues. The only major change is that Ba’al is substituted for his Greek equivalent Zeus. This coin design would go on to become one of the most iconic designs in all of ancient coinage. Reverse IconographyA translation of the reverse inscription reads “Mazaios who is over Beyond the River and Cilicia” in Aramaic. “Beyond the River” (Abar Nahara) was the official name of the administrative district between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean in the Persian Empire. Therefore, Mazaios must have been the Satrap of both Cilicia and this larger region that extended south to include Jerusalem. The term “Beyond the River” for this region is attested in several places in the Bible, including in Ezra and Nehemiah. David Hendin points out that Nehemiah and Mazaios were both officials at the Persian royal court and would have been familiar with this nomenclature. On this coin there are two main design elements that have an unclear meaning: 1) The double crenulated walls and 2) The lion attacking the bull. 1) I have read in various places that David Hendin has suggested that the walls could be a reference to Jerusalem and the extensive construction sponsored by the Kings and Satraps of Persia in that city. Hendin does discuss this coin in his Guide to Biblical Coins 6th edition, but he stops just short of suggesting a link between the walls on the coin and Jerusalem.  I have only been able to reference the 6th edition so perhaps this is a change from earlier editions. Regardless, the suggestion is an interesting one that has merit. However, I think it is more likely that the walls referenced are those of Tarsus itself. Tarsus was a large and important city in antiquity. I found references dating to the middle ages that refer to Tarsus as being surrounded by a “double wall. [2]” If this was the case in antiquity as well, then I think the walls are likely a symbol of the strength and security of the city of Tarsus under Persian protection. The Persian satraps took up a permanent seat in Tarsus as late as 401 BC, so Persia may have sponsored some relatively recent construction projects that may have included expansion or upgrading of the city’s walls. 2) At first glance a coin showing a lion attacking a bull is a strange choice of iconography considering Ba’altarz is often associated with a bull. However, in this case I think we need to make a disconnect between the iconography on the obverse and reverse. The lion attacking a bull is an artistic motif that goes back centuries and possibly millennia before this coin was struck.  The motif was embraced by the Kings of Persian and used extensively in the royal palace at Persepolis. As such I think it represents Persian royal power. Taken in connection with the representation of the double walls, it could be a reminder of the strength and security of the empire. [ATTACH=full]1572137[/ATTACH] Lion attacking bull relief carving at the royal palace at Persepolis. References [1] Hendin, David, Guide to Biblical Coins Sixth Edition, American Numismatics Society, 2022 [2] <a href="https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/T/tarsus.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/T/tarsus.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/T/tarsus.html</a> Please post your:<ul> <li>Mazaios coins</li> <li>Coins of Tarsus</li> <li>Alexander coins with seated Zeus</li> <li>Lions on the attack!</li> <li>Coins issued under Persian rule</li> </ul>[/QUOTE]

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