weight 12,75gr. | silver Ø 24mm.
Phoenician (Sidonian) standard
obv. Melqart, holding reins and arched bow, riding hippocamp
right above waves below, dolphin right
rev. Owl standing right, head facing crook and flail in background
Melqart is usually shown as a bearded male divinity holding a bow and reins while riding a winged hippocamp (a mythological sea creature with the front half of a horse and the tail of a fish) over two rows of ocean waves. A dolphin is frequently depicted swimming underneath the creature to reinforce Tyre′s identity as a maritime power.
Melqart was the king of Tyre′s pantheon, and his name literally translates to "King of the City." Because he possessed attributes of both a protector god and a traveler, classical Greek writers heavily equated him with their own hero-deity, Heracles (or the Roman Hercules). In his guise as a sea god on these earlier silver coins, the imagery of him riding the hippocamp across the waves symbolized Tyre′s absolute dominance over maritime trade routes.
On 5th to 4th-century BC silver coins of Tyre, the owl symbolizes Athenian currency imitation and trade trust, while the crook and flail represent Egyptian royal authority and agricultural fertility adopted during Persian rule. The owl was adapted directly from the famous Athenian tetradrachm, used to signal trusted weight, high silver purity, and market acceptability.
Traditional ancient Egyptian symbols of divine kingship and rule are associated with Osiris. The Shepherd′s Crook (Heka) denotes the leader′s duty to guide and protect the populace. The Threshing Flail (Nekhakha) signifies the power to provide sustenance, agricultural fertility, and maintain order.
BMC 19 | Babelon, Traité II, p. 619, 1004 (Pl.CXXII, 16) |
SNG.Copenhagen 301 | Mitchiner ATAEC 1290 | Dewing 2760
Elayi 2009, nos. 613-651 | Babelon, Achemenide, 2001 (Pl.XXXV, 13)
Sear 5912 | Winterthur- | HGC 10, no. 315 | McClean 9518 R
Struck on a broad flan. Very attractive and rare.
vf
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