I just read a great article in the local paper about the demise of this great archaeology site. Very interesting if interested. https://www.theage.com.au/world/mid...ow-or-will-it-rise-again-20190828-p52lgp.html........Post your Syrian coins in respect of this once great Roman city. SYRIA, Cyrrhestica. Cyrrhus. Philip II. AD 247-249. Æ 29mm (15.88g, 6h). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Zeus Kataibates seated facing below garlands, holding thunderbolt and scepter, eagle at his feet to left, within hexastyle temple with arched pediment; above, bull (Taurus) leaping right. Butcher 21 var. (bull leaping left); SNG Copenhagen 49 corr. (under Philip I, bull not described); BMC 34 corr. (bull described as ram; same rev. die [obv. not illustrated]). VF, brown patina. Butcher notes that obverse dies of Philip for Cyrrhus are shared with Hierapolis, Zeugma, and Samosata and suggests that the coinage
Thanks for sharing. It is unbelievable that there are people who want to treat their fellow human beings like this. Hopefully Palmyra will be restored someday. But I think the scar of the occupation will always remain.
Just very very sad. Thanks for sharing that, AA. This one's not Syrian but from Alexandria, with the bust of the Palmyrene prince Vabalathus on the reverse, struck at the time when the Palmyrene Empire was at its height of power. AURELIAN with VABALATHUS Potin Tetradrachm. 8.91g, 22.5mm. EGYPT, Alexandria, RY 2 of Aurelian, RY 5 of Vabalathus (AD 270/271). Emmett 3914. O: Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aurelian right; L-B (date) in lower right field. R: Laureate, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Vabalathus right; L-E (date) across field.
I remember it all going on real time a few years ago. Truly disturbing. And then more so that nobody outside of Syria is offering help... Though when you read that almost 20 museum workers have met horrendous deaths in the last 8 years, just for taking pride in their ancient heritage, it shows the kind of guts those brave keepers of the past over there have. I had recently seen a pure Vabalathus coin at auction (not sure if it's sold yet or not, but at the time it was already well outside of my piggybanks reach). Anyway, here he is with one of the greatest rulers, not just of Rome, of all time.
Coins attributable to Palmyra are rare. Here is one: 15 mm. 2.65 grams. Three busts, sometimes identified as "Serapis facing, Sol on left and Selene on right facing the center with 'I' below." However, those are Roman names. They really are gods associated with Palmyra: facing bust of Baal with polos, sun god Yarhibol on left, moongod Aglibol on right. ΠAΛMVRA (Palmyra) 10:00 - 1:00. Winged figure walking left holding balance with two pans over cippus. DuBuisson page 722 and Figure 306. Krzyanowska page 499 and Figure 1.1 "very rare".
