Greek Coins Arabia Felix 100-150 n. Chr. Rare silver coin, RMS/WTR, c.100-150 CE, Himyarite Kingdom, Arabia

Monogrammed RMŠ (????????????) in South Arabian (the drawing is shown below) // wtr (????????????) in South Arabian below a curved line. 9mm, 0.26 grams. Cf. Zeno 70265; Munro-Hay 3.17iii (monogram 128); CNG Auction 204, lot 31 (in porous VF, realized 215$ + fees).

Very rare. This type is variously attributed to Karib'īl Watār Yuhan'im or 'Amdān Bayān Yahaqbiḍ, based on the monograms found on their epigraphic coins. This rare type is very unusual, and is very different from the normal common Himyarite coinage. It is probably a provincial issue, or coinage struck at a lesser mint, or an earlier, pre-Himyarite issue - the monogram ḥḍr (???? ???? ????) (found on some of these small fractions) is known on the coins clearly pre-Himyar, of uncertain origin as well on Himyari types with honorific titles wtr and mostly ‘mdn byn.