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Message:: [QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 4637518, member: 110350"]Of the 11 coins posted in this thread, 8 were issued under Trajan -- 8 of the 9 posted coins that were issued under the Empire.  And I've certainly noticed that far more Roman Provincial Melqart coins for sale on VCoins were issued under Trajan than under any other Emperor; the same seems to be true of Roman Provincial coins with Melqart that are listed on acsearch.  Coincidence? The "Ancient History Encyclopedia" article on Melqart that I cited in my first post in this thread suggests that it wasn't: without citing any specific source (there's just a bibliography at the end), the article attempts to draw a connection between Trajan's birth in Spain and the "particularly renowned" Phoenician temple of Melqart in Gades (now Cadiz), stating that it was "not coincidental[]" that Melqart's cult was supposedly given imperial status under Trajan and Hadrian (who was also born in Spain).  And it's true that Trajan's (and Hadrian's) birthplace was the town of Italica, very near Seville -- which is only 120 km. (about 70 miles) north of Cadiz. Does any of you buy that there's a connection there, and/or that Trajan himself had anything to do with the fact that so many coins depicting Melqart were issued in Phoenicia during his reign? (Note that unlike under Trajan, I don't see that any significant number of Melqart coins coins were issued under Hadrian.)[/QUOTE]