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Numismatics :
Phoenician Coins : Phoenician Silver Tetradrachm of Tyre
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Phoenician Silver Tetradrachm of Tyre - C.0271
Origin: Minted in Tyre
Circa: 400
BC
to 360
BC
Collection: Numismatics
Medium: Silver
$2,100.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
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This striking silver coin was struck in Tyre,
Phoenicia, between 400 and 360 BC. It shows
Melqarth (more properly Melqart, Melkart,
Melkarth or Melgart), the Akkadian-inspired
defender of the Phoenician city of Tyre, facing
right and riding astride a hippocamp (literally a
sea-horse) through a series of waves containing
fish. The reverse shows an owl, facing right and
face to viewer, with a flail and a hook under its
wing, contained within a cable border.
Melqarth became identified with Herakles when
the Greeks spread across this area. The
symbolism of the owl is uncertain but it is
usually identified with wisdom and good fortune.
It is also the symbol of Athena.
A tetradrachm is a Greek coin worth four
drachms. It was minted for most of the second
half of the first millennium BC throughout the
Greek world.
This is a rare and impressive coin, in VF
condition.
- (C.0271)
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