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Image search results - "Syrian"
63430q00.jpg
10 Vespasian and TitusVespasian, 1 July 69 - 24 June 79 A.D., Antioch, Syria

Silver tetradrachm, Prieur 113, McAlee 336, RPC II 1947, Wruck 86, aVF, Antioch mint, weight 13.89g, maximum diameter 24.3mm, die axis 0o, 70 - 71 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤ ΚΑΙΣΑ ΟΥΕΣΠΑΣΙΑΝΟΥ, laureate bust right; reverse ETOYC Γ IEPOY (Holy Year 3), eagle standing left on club, wings spread, palm frond left; ex CNG auction 149, lot 286; ex Garth R. Drewry Collection, ex Harmer Rooke (26-28 March 1973), lot 488 (part of).

Struck to pay Titus' legions during and after the First Jewish Revolt. RPC notes c. 320 different dies indicate 6,500,000 Syrian tetradrachms might have been minted. This was the quantity Titus would have needed to pay his four legions. Hoard evidence finds many of these types in Judaea confirming they were used to pay the legions.

Purchased from FORVM!
RI0002
Sosius
55535q00.jpg
AHG 272 . The Antioch Hoard of Gallienus . Salonina, August 254 - c. September 268 A.D.Salonina, August 254 - c. September 268 A.D.
Billon antoninianus . 2.763g, 20.1mm, 0o, Syrian mint, 258 - 260 A.D.
Obverse : CORN SALONINA AVG, diademed and draped bust right, crescent behind
Reverse : CONCORDIA AVGG, emperor and empress standing confronted, clasping hands
Göbl MIR 1691p (Samosata), SRCV III 10630 (uncertain Syrian mint), RIC V 63 (Antioch), Cohen 31, AHG 272 (this coin)
From the Antioch Hoard of Gallienus . Ex Forum
Vladislav D
!Seleukids__.jpg
Cover art for the Seleukid Coin Gallery The Seleukid Empire, including the royal line, usurpers, and the municipal issues of Syrian cities.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=7401
1 commentsAnaximander
Y04281.jpg
SYRIA, Uncertain. Eloucion?
Magistrate, 2nd-3rd century AD.
PB Tessera (17mm, 3.06 g, 11 h)
HΛOV CION, bust of Shamash right, atop eagle(?)
Nike advancing left; star above crescent before, wheel below
Unpublished

The bust of Shamash (or perhaps Sol) on the obverse is distinctly Syrian in nature. Additionally, the style is dramatically different from the issues of Asia Minor.
2 commentsArdatirion
valerianb.jpg
(0253) VALERIAN253 - 260 AD
struck 256-258 AD
Billon Antoninianus 20.5 X 23.5 mm, 3.31 g
O: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG - Radiate, draped bust right
R: PIETAS AVGG - Valerian and Gallienus facing each other sacrificing over altar between them, one holding an eagle tipped scepter, the other a parazonium
Uncertain Syrian Mint
Reference SR-9955, RIC V 285
laney
Diadumenian_AR-tet_11_3gr_mar2012_o-r_90%.JPG
0 - M - Diadumenian - AR - Silver Tetradrachm - Lion beneath Eagle~
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Ancient Roman Empire
Diadumenian as Caesar, Coin Struck AD 218.
Son of Emperor Macrinus (8 April 217 AD – June 218 AD)
Silver Tetradrachm of Heirapolis.

(Titles in Greek)
obv: Radiate bust of Diadumenian facing right. Draped and Cuirassed, Seen from Behind.
rev: Eagle standing facing, wings spread, holding wreath in beak. Lion walking right beneath.

Weight: 11.3 Grams
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*****~ HUGE PHOTO - CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE FULLY ~ *****
~~~
Reference: Prieur 947
I want to thank Mat and Potator for their help with the ID of this coin.
~~~
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6 commentsrexesq
gordian-III_tet_ram-below-eagle_14_76gr_mar2012_amphora.jpg
01 - Gordian III Tetradrachm #3 - Ram leaping left beneath Eagle, head reverted, Crescent Moon above ramAncient Roman Empire
Emperor Gordian III ( 238 - 244 AD ) Silver Tetradrachm.
Struck at the Roman Mint at Antioch, Syria.

(Titles in Greek)
obv: Laureate bust right, draped and cuirassed. Seen from behind.
rev: Eagle standing, holding laurel wreath in beak, head facing left.
BELOW: Ram leaping left, head turned facing behind (right), with Crescent Moon above head of Ram, all between the legs of the Eagle.

Weight: 14.76 Grams

~~~~
::Great detail on the head and beak of the Eagle, as well as on the Emperor's portrait, very nice coin, good weight for the type too. ::
~~~

*ex Amphora Ancient Coins, with photo-authenticity COA signed by David Hendin, author of Guide to Biblical Coins.
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5 commentsrexesq
093_Saloninus,_Bi-Ant_,_RIC_V-I_036,_Samosata,_SALON_VALERIANVS_NOB_CAES,_SPES_PVBLICA,_256-260AD,_Q-001,_5h,_20-21mm,_3g-s.jpg
093 Saloninus (258-260 A.D. Caesar), Samosata, RIC V-I 036A, AR-Antoninianus, -/-//--, SPES PVBLICA, Prince in military dress and Spes, #1093 Saloninus (258-260 A.D. Caesar), Samosata, RIC V-I 036A, AR-Antoninianus, -/-//--, SPES PVBLICA, Prince in military dress and Spes, #1
avers: SALON VALERIANVS NOB CAES, Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Saloninus right.
reverse: SPES PVBLICA, Prince in military dress standing right, holding scepter and receiving a flower from Spes, walking left, the lifting hem of a skirt, star between.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 20,0-21,0mm, weight: 3,00g, axis: 5h,
mint: Samosata, date: 256-260 A.D.,
ref: RIC V-I 36A, p-, C-41, Göbl ?, Sear 10775 (?) Syrian mint,
Q-001
quadrans
wileycweights24_9mm_8_3g.jpg
1 shekel Hematite Babylonian/Syrian weightSphendonoid flat base
24mm/9mm
8.3 g
Hendin; 23
wileyc
Julia_Mamaea_R696_portrait.jpg
102 - IVLIA MAMAEAJulia Avita Mamaea was a Syrian noble woman and a Roman regent of the Severan dynasty. She was the mother of Roman Emperor Severus Alexander and served as regent of Rome during his reign.

for obverse, reverse and coin details click here
shanxi
MaxHercRIC5iiRome.jpg
1302a, Maximian, 285 - 305, 306 - 308, and 310 A.D.Maximianus AE Antoninianus. RIC V Part II 506 Bust Type C. Cohen 355; VF; Minted in Rome A.D. 285-286. Obverse: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right; Rverse: IOVI CONSERVAT AVGG, Jupiter standing left holding thunderbolt & scepter, XXIZ in exergue. Ex maridvnvm.

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D.


Michael DiMaio, Jr.
Salve Regina University

Perhaps born ca. 249/250 A.D. in Sirmium in the area of the Balkans, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, more commonly known as Maximianus Herculius (Maximian), had been a soldier before he put on the purple. A fellow soldier with the Emperor Diocletian, he had served in the military during the reigns of Aurelian and Probus.

When the Emperor Diocletian determined that the empire was too large for one man to govern on his own, he made Maximian his Caesar in 285/6 and elevated him to the rank of Augustus in perhaps the spring of 286. While Diocletian ruled in the East, Maximian ruled in the West. In 293, in order to maintain and to strengthen the stability of the empire, Diocletian appointed Constantius I Chlorus to serve Maximian as a Caesar in the West, while Galerius did the same job in the East. This arrangement, called the "Tetrarchy", was meant not only to provide a stronger foundation for the two emperors' rule, but also to end any possible fighting over the succession to the throne once the two senior Augusti had left the throne--a problem which had bedeviled the principate since the time of the Emperor Augustus. To cement the relationship between Maximian and his Caesar, Constantius married Maximian's elder daughter Theodora. A decade later, Constantius' son Constantine would marry Maximia's younger daughter Fausta.

On 1 May 305 Diocletian, at Nicomedeia, and Maximian, at Mediolanum, divested themselves of the purple. Their resignations seem largely due to the almost fatal illness that Diocletian contracted toward the end of 304. Diocletian seems to have forced his colleague to abdicate. In any case, Herculius had sworn an oath at the temple of Capitoline Jupiter to carry out the terms of the abdication. Constantius and Galerius were appointed as Augusti, with Maximinus Daia and Severus as the new Caesars. The retired emperors then returned to private life. Diocletian's retirement was at Salonae in Dalmatia, while Herculius' retreat was either in Lucania or Campania.

Maximian's retirement, however, was of short duration because, a little more than a year later on 28 October 306, his son Maxentius was proclaimed emperor at Rome. To give his regime an aura of legitimacy, Maximian was forced to affirm his son's acclamation. When Galerius learned of Maxentius' rebellion, he sent Severus against him with an army that had formerly been under his father's command. Maxentius invested his father with the purple again to win over his enemy's troops, a ruse which succeeded. Perhaps to strengthen his own position, in 307 Maximian went to Gaul and married his daughter Fausta to Constantine. When Constantine refused to become embroiled in the civil war between Galerius and Maxentius, Maximian returned to Rome in 308 and attempted to depose his son; however, he did not succeed. When Maximian was unable to convince Diocletian to take up the purple again at a meeting in Carnuntum in late 308, he returned to his son-in-law's side in Gaul.

Although Maximian was treated with all of the respect due a former emperor, he still desired to be more than a figurehead. He decided to seize the purple from Constantine when his son-in-law least expected it. His opportunity came in the summer of 310 when the Franks revolted. When Constantine had taken a small part of his army into enemy territory, Maximian proclaimed himself again emperor and paid the soldiers under his command a donative to secure their loyalty. As soon as Constantine received news about Maximian's revolt in July 310, he went south and reached Arelate before his father-in-law could mount a defense of the city. Although Maximian fled to Massilia, his son-in-law seized the city and took Maximian prisoner. Although he was deprived of the purple, he was granted pardon for his crimes. Unable to endure the humiliation of his defeat, he attempted to have Constantine murdered in his bed. The plot failed because he tried to get his daughter Fausta's help in the matter; she chose to reveal the matter to her husband. Because of this attempt on his son-in-law's life Maximian was dead by the end of July either by his own hand or on the orders of his intended victim.

Eutropia was of Syrian extraction and her marriage to Maximian seems to have been her second. She bore him two children: Maxentius and Fausta. An older daughter, Theodora, may have been a product of her first marriage. Fausta became the wife of Constantine I , while her sister Theodora was the second spouse of his father Constantius I Chlorus . Eutropia apparently survived all her children, with the possible exception of her daughter Fausta who seems to have died in 326. Eutropia is also said to have become a Christian.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
Max.jpg
1302b, Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D., commemorative issued by Constantine the Great (Siscia)Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D., commemorative issued by Constantine the Great. Bronze AE3, RIC 41, VF, Siscia, 1.30g, 16.1mm, 0o, 317-318 A.D. Obverse: DIVO MAXIMIANO SEN FORT IMP, laureate and veiled head right; Reverse: REQVIES OPTIMO-RVM MERITORVM, Emperor seated left on curule chair, raising hand and holding scepter, SIS in exergue; scarce (R3).


De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Maximian, 285-305, 306-308, and 310 A.D.


Michael DiMaio, Jr.
Salve Regina University

Perhaps born ca. 249/250 A.D. in Sirmium in the area of the Balkans, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, more commonly known as Maximianus Herculius (Maximian), had been a soldier before he put on the purple. A fellow soldier with the Emperor Diocletian, he had served in the military during the reigns of Aurelian and Probus.

When the Emperor Diocletian determined that the empire was too large for one man to govern on his own, he made Maximian his Caesar in 285/6 and elevated him to the rank of Augustus in perhaps the spring of 286. While Diocletian ruled in the East, Maximian ruled in the West. In 293, in order to maintain and to strengthen the stability of the empire, Diocletian appointed Constantius I Chlorus to serve Maximian as a Caesar in the West, while Galerius did the same job in the East. This arrangement, called the "Tetrarchy", was meant not only to provide a stronger foundation for the two emperors' rule, but also to end any possible fighting over the succession to the throne once the two senior Augusti had left the throne--a problem which had bedeviled the principate since the time of the Emperor Augustus. To cement the relationship between Maximian and his Caesar, Constantius married Maximian's elder daughter Theodora. A decade later, Constantius' son Constantine would marry Maximia's younger daughter Fausta.

On 1 May 305 Diocletian, at Nicomedeia, and Maximian, at Mediolanum, divested themselves of the purple. Their resignations seem largely due to the almost fatal illness that Diocletian contracted toward the end of 304. Diocletian seems to have forced his colleague to abdicate. In any case, Herculius had sworn an oath at the temple of Capitoline Jupiter to carry out the terms of the abdication. Constantius and Galerius were appointed as Augusti, with Maximinus Daia and Severus as the new Caesars. The retired emperors then returned to private life. Diocletian's retirement was at Salonae in Dalmatia, while Herculius' retreat was either in Lucania or Campania.

Maximian's retirement, however, was of short duration because, a little more than a year later on 28 October 306, his son Maxentius was proclaimed emperor at Rome. To give his regime an aura of legitimacy, Maximian was forced to affirm his son's acclamation. When Galerius learned of Maxentius' rebellion, he sent Severus against him with an army that had formerly been under his father's command. Maxentius invested his father with the purple again to win over his enemy's troops, a ruse which succeeded. Perhaps to strengthen his own position, in 307 Maximian went to Gaul and married his daughter Fausta to Constantine. When Constantine refused to become embroiled in the civil war between Galerius and Maxentius, Maximian returned to Rome in 308 and attempted to depose his son; however, he did not succeed. When Maximian was unable to convince Diocletian to take up the purple again at a meeting in Carnuntum in late 308, he returned to his son-in-law's side in Gaul.

Although Maximian was treated with all of the respect due a former emperor, he still desired to be more than a figurehead. He decided to seize the purple from Constantine when his son-in-law least expected it. His opportunity came in the summer of 310 when the Franks revolted. When Constantine had taken a small part of his army into enemy territory, Maximian proclaimed himself again emperor and paid the soldiers under his command a donative to secure their loyalty. As soon as Constantine received news about Maximian's revolt in July 310, he went south and reached Arelate before his father-in-law could mount a defense of the city. Although Maximian fled to Massilia, his son-in-law seized the city and took Maximian prisoner. Although he was deprived of the purple, he was granted pardon for his crimes. Unable to endure the humiliation of his defeat, he attempted to have Constantine murdered in his bed. The plot failed because he tried to get his daughter Fausta's help in the matter; she chose to reveal the matter to her husband. Because of this attempt on his son-in-law's life Maximian was dead by the end of July either by his own hand or on the orders of his intended victim.

Eutropia was of Syrian extraction and her marriage to Maximian seems to have been her second. She bore him two children: Maxentius and Fausta. An older daughter, Theodora, may have been a product of her first marriage. Fausta became the wife of Constantine I , while her sister Theodora was the second spouse of his father Constantius I Chlorus . Eutropia apparently survived all her children, with the possible exception of her daughter Fausta who seems to have died in 326. Eutropia is also said to have become a Christian.

By Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
MaxentiusRIC163.jpg
1307a, Maxentius, February 307 - 28 October 312 A.D.Bronze follis, RIC 163, aEF, Rome mint, 5.712g, 25.6mm, 0o, summer 307 A.D.; obverse MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right; reverse CONSERVATO-RES VRB SVAE, Roma holding globe and scepter, seated in hexastyle temple, RT in ex; rare. Ex FORVM; Ex Maridvnvm


De Imperatoribus Romanis : An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Maxentius (306-312 A.D.)


Michael DiMaio, Jr.
Salve Regina University

Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius, more commonly known as Maxentius, was the child of the Emperor Maximianus Herculius and the Syrian, Eutropia; he was born ca. 278 A.D. After Galerius' appointment to the rank of Caesar on 1 March 293, Maxentius married Galerius' daughter Valeria Maximilla, who bore him a son named Romulus and another son whose name is unknown. Due to his haughty nature and bad disposition, Maxentius could seldom agree with his father or his father-in-law; Galerius' and Maximianus Herculius' aversion to Maxentius prevented the young man from becoming a Caesar in 305. Little else is known of Maxentius' private life prior to his accession and, although there is some evidence that it was spent in idleness, he did become a Senator.

On 28 October 306 Maxentius was acclaimed emperor, although he was politically astute enough not to use the title Augustus; like the Emperor Augustus, he called himself princeps. It was not until the summer of 307 that he started using the title Augustus and started offending other claimants to the imperial throne. He was enthroned by the plebs and the Praetorians. At the time of his acclamation Maxentius was at a public villa on the Via Labicana. He strengthened his position with promises of riches for those who helped him obtain his objective. He forced his father Maximianus Herculius to affirm his son's acclamation in order to give his regime a facade of legitimacy. His realm included Italy, Africa, Sardinia, and Corsica. As soon as Galerius learned about the acclamation of Herculius' son, he dispatched the Emperor Severus to quell the rebellion. With the help of his father and Severus' own troops, Maxentius' took his enemy prisoner.

When Severus died, Galerius was determined to avenge his death. In the early summer of 307 the Augustus invaded Italy; he advanced to the south and encamped at Interamna near the Tiber. His attempt to besiege the city was abortive because his army was not large enough to encompass the city's fortifications. Negotiations between Maxentius and Galerius broke down when the emperor discovered that the usurper was trying to win over his troops. Galerius' troops were open to Maxentius' promises because they were fighting a civil war between members of the same family; some of the soldiers went over to the enemy. Not trusting his own troops, Galerius withdrew. During its retreat, Galerius' army ravaged the Italian countryside as it was returning to its original base. If it was not enough that Maxentius had to deal with the havoc created by the ineffectual invasions of Severus and Galerius, he also had to deal with his father's attempts to regain the throne between 308 and 310. When Maximianus Herculius was unable to regain power by pushing his son off his throne, he attempted to win over Constantine to his cause. When this plan failed, he tried to win Diocletian over to his side at Carnuntum in October and November 308. Frustrated at every turn, Herculius returned to his son-in-law Constantine's side in Gaul where he died in 310, having been implicated in a plot against his son-in-law. Maxentius' control of the situation was weakened by the revolt of L. Domitius Alexander in 308. Although the revolt only lasted until the end of 309, it drastically cut the size of the grain supply availble for Rome. Maxentius' rule collapsed when he died on 27 October 312 in an engagement he had with the Emperor Constantine at the Milvian Bridge after the latter had invaded his realm.

Copyright (C) 1996, Michael DiMaio, Jr.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
1 commentsCleisthenes
Saladin_A788.jpg
1701a, Saladin, 1169-1193AYYUBID: Saladin, 1169-1193, AR dirham (2.92g), Halab, AH580, A-788, lovely struck, well-centered & bold, Extremely Fine, Scarce.

His name in Arabic, in full, is SALAH AD-DIN YUSUF IBN AYYUB ("Righteousness of the Faith, Joseph, Son of Job"), also called AL-MALIK AN-NASIR SALAH AD-DIN YUSUF I (b. 1137/38, Tikrit, Mesopotamia--d. March 4, 1193, Damascus), Muslim sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and the most famous of Muslim heroes.

In wars against the Christian crusaders, he achieved final success with the disciplined capture of Jerusalem (Oct. 2, 1187), ending its 88-year occupation by the Franks. The great Christian counterattack of the Third Crusade was then stalemated by Saladin's military genius.

Saladin was born into a prominent Kurdish family. On the night of his birth, his father, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, gathered his family and moved to Aleppo, there entering the service of 'Imad ad-Din Zangi ibn Aq Sonqur, the powerful Turkish governor in northern Syria. Growing up in Ba'lbek and Damascus, Saladin was apparently an undistinguished youth, with a greater taste for religious studies than military training.
His formal career began when he joined the staff of his uncle Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, an important military commander under the amir Nureddin, son and successor of Zangi. During three military expeditions led by Shirkuh into Egypt to prevent its falling to the Latin-Christian (Frankish) rulers of the states established by the First Crusade, a complex, three-way struggle developed between Amalric I, the Latin king of Jerusalem, Shawar, the powerful vizier of the Egyptian Fatimid caliph, and Shirkuh. After Shirkuh's death and after ordering Shawar's assassination, Saladin, in 1169 at the age of 31, was appointed both commander of the Syrian troops and vizier of Egypt.

His relatively quick rise to power must be attributed not only to the clannish nepotism of his Kurdish family but also to his own emerging talents. As vizier of Egypt, he received the title king (malik), although he was generally known as the sultan. Saladin's position was further enhanced when, in 1171, he abolished the Shi'i Fatimid caliphate, proclaimed a return to Sunnah in Egypt, and consequently became its sole ruler.

Although he remained for a time theoretically a vassal of Nureddin, that relationship ended with the Syrian emir's death in 1174. Using his rich agricultural possessions in Egypt as a financial base, Saladin soon moved into Syria with a small but strictly disciplined army to claim the regency on behalf of the young son of his former suzerain.
Soon, however, he abandoned this claim, and from 1174 until 1186 he zealously pursued a goal of uniting, under his own standard, all the Muslim territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt.

This he accomplished by skillful diplomacy backed when necessary by the swift and resolute use of military force. Gradually, his reputation grew as a generous and virtuous but firm ruler, devoid of pretense, licentiousness, and cruelty. In contrast to the bitter dissension and intense rivalry that had up to then hampered the Muslims in their resistance to the crusaders, Saladin's singleness of purpose induced them to rearm both physically and spiritually.

Saladin's every act was inspired by an intense and unwavering devotion to the idea of jihad ("holy war")-the Muslim equivalent of the Christian crusade. It was an essential part of his policy to encourage the growth and spread of Muslim religious institutions.

He courted its scholars and preachers, founded colleges and mosques for their use, and commissioned them to write edifying works especially on the jihad itself. Through moral regeneration, which was a genuine part of his own way of life, he tried to re-create in his own realm some of the same zeal and enthusiasm that had proved so valuable to the first generations of Muslims when, five centuries before, they had conquered half the known world.

Saladin also succeeded in turning the military balance of power in his favour-more by uniting and disciplining a great number of unruly forces than by employing new or improved military techniques. When at last, in 1187, he was able to throw his full strength into the struggle with the Latin crusader kingdoms, his armies were their equals. On July 4, 1187, aided by his own military good sense and by a phenomenal lack of it on the part of his enemy, Saladin trapped and destroyed in one blow an exhausted and thirst-crazed army of crusaders at Hattin, near Tiberias in northern Palestine.

So great were the losses in the ranks of the crusaders in this one battle that the Muslims were quickly able to overrun nearly the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem. Acre, Toron, Beirut, Sidon, Nazareth, Caesarea, Nabulus, Jaffa (Yafo), and Ascalon (Ashqelon) fell within three months.

But Saladin's crowning achievement and the most disastrous blow to the whole crusading movement came on Oct. 2, 1187, when Jerusalem, holy to both Muslim and Christian alike, surrendered to the Sultan's army after 88 years in the hands of the Franks. In stark contrast to the city's conquest by the Christians, when blood flowed freely during the barbaric slaughter of its inhabitants, the Muslim reconquest was marked by the civilized and courteous behaviour of Saladin and his troops. His sudden success, which in 1189 saw the crusaders reduced to the occupation of only three cities, was, however, marred by his failure to capture Tyre, an almost impregnable coastal fortress to which the scattered Christian survivors of the recent battles flocked. It was to be the rallying point of the Latin counterattack.

Most probably, Saladin did not anticipate the European reaction to his capture of Jerusalem, an event that deeply shocked the West and to which it responded with a new call for a crusade. In addition to many great nobles and famous knights, this crusade, the third, brought the kings of three countries into the struggle.

The magnitude of the Christian effort and the lasting impression it made on contemporaries gave the name of Saladin, as their gallant and chivalrous enemy, an added lustre that his military victories alone could never confer on him.

The Crusade itself was long and exhausting, and, despite the obvious, though at times impulsive, military genius of Richard I the Lion-Heart, it achieved almost nothing. Therein lies the greatest-but often unrecognized--achievement of Saladin. With tired and unwilling feudal levies, committed to fight only a limited season each year, his indomitable will enabled him to fight the greatest champions of Christendom to a draw. The crusaders retained little more than a precarious foothold on the Levantine coast, and when King Richard set sail from the Orient in October 1192, the battle was over.

Saladin withdrew to his capital at Damascus. Soon, the long campaigning seasons and the endless hours in the saddle caught up with him, and he died. While his relatives were already scrambling for pieces of the empire, his friends found that the most powerful and most generous ruler in the Muslim world had not left enough money to pay for his own grave.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
H.A.R. Gibb, "The Arabic Sources for the Life of Saladin," Speculum, 25:58-72 (1950). C.W. Wilson's English translation of one of the most important Arabic works, The Life of Saladin (1897), was reprinted in 1971. The best biography to date is Stanley Lane-Poole, Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, new ed. (1926, reprinted 1964), although it does not take account of all the sources.
1 commentsCleisthenes
1607059_625273620842886_1594459012_n.jpg
181 Julia Domna - UnlistedIVLIA DOMNA AVG, Draped bust right; FORTVN REDVC, Fortuna standing left, holding rudder and cornucopia
Unlisted Syrian mint.

Traded :/ :)
4 commentsRandygeki(h2)
DidJulSestConMil.jpg
1bq Didius Julianus193

Sestertius

Laureate head, right, IMP CAES M DID SEVER IVLIAN AVG
Concorde w/ standard, CONCORDIA MILIT SC

RIC 14

According to the Historia Augusta: Didius Julianus. . . was reared at the home of Domitia Lucilla, the mother of the Emperor Marcus. . . . [T]hrough the support of Marcus he attained to the office of aedile [and] praetor. After his praetorship he commanded the XXII Legion, the Primigenia, in Germany, and following that he ruled Belgium long and well. Here, with auxiliaries hastily levied from the provinces, he held out against the Chauci as they attempted to burst through the border; and for these services, on the recommendation of the Emperor, he was deemed worthy of the consulship. He also gained a crushing victory over the Chatti. Next he took charge of Dalmatia and cleared it of the hostile tribes on its borders. Then he governed Lower Germany. . . .

His consulship he served with Pertinax; in the proconsulship of Africa, moreover, he succeeded him. Pertinax always spoke of him as his colleague and successor. After [Pertinax'] death, when Sulpicianus was making plans to be hailed emperor in the camp, Julianus, together with his son-in-law, . . . discovered two tribunes, Publius Florianus and Vectius Aper, who immediately began urging him to seize the throne; and. . . conducted him to the praetorian camp. When they arrived at the camp, however, Sulpicianus, the prefect of the city and the father-in-law of Pertinax, was holding an assembly and claiming the empire himself, and no one would let Julianus inside, despite the huge promises he made from outside the wall. Julianus then . . . wrote on placards that he would restore the good name of Commodus; so he was admitted and proclaimed emperor. . . .

Julianus had no fear of either the British or the Illyrian army; but being chiefly afraid of the Syrian army, he despatched a centurion of the first rank with orders to murder Niger. Consequently Pescennius Niger in Syria and Septimius Severus in Illyricum, together with the armies which they commanded, revolted from Julianus. But when he received the news of the revolt of Severus, whom he had not suspected, then he was greatly troubled and came to the senate and prevailed upon them to declare Severus a public enemy. . . . Severus was approaching the city with a hostile army. . . and the populace hated and laughed at him more and more every day.

In a short time Julianus was deserted by all and left alone in the Palace with one of his prefects, Genialis, and with Repentinus, his son-in-law. Finally, it was propose'd that the imperial power be taken away from Julianus by order of the senate. This was done, and Severus was forthwith acclaimed emperor, while it was given out that Julianus had taken poison. Nevertheless, the senate despatched a delegation and through their efforts Julianus was slain in the Palace by a common soldier. . . .
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1bs Septimius Severus193-211

Denarius

Laureate head, right, SEVERVS PIVS AVG
Septimius, togate and veiled, standing left holding olive branch, FVNDATOR PACIS

RIC 265

According to the Historia Augusta: After the murder of Didius Julianus, Severus, a native of Africa, gained the empire. His home town was Lepcis Magna, his father was Geta and his ancestors had been Roman knights before citizenship had been given to all. . . . He himself was born on the third day before the Ides of April, when Erucius Clarus, for the second time, and Severus were the consuls [11 April A.D.146]. . . .

After his departure to Germany he conducted himself in such a way in his governorship as to increase his reputation, which had already become noteworthy. Up to this point his military activity was as a private citizen. But then, after it had been learned that Commodus had been murdered and, moreover, that Julianus held the empire amid universal hatred, he was proclaimed emperor by the German legions at Carnuntum, on the Ides of August, although he did put up some resistance to the many who urged him on. He gave the soldiers . . . sesterces each. Then, after strengthening the provinces which he was leaving in his rear, he marched on Rome. All yielded to him wherever he went, while the armies of Illyricum and Gaul, under the pressure of their generals, had already sworn allegiance to him - for he was received by everyone as the avenger of Pertinax. At the same time, on the instigation of Julianus, Septimius Severus was declared a public enemy, and envoys were sent to the army who were to order the soldiers to desert him, on the instructions of the Senate. At first, when Severus heard that the envoys had been sent by authority of a senatorial decree, he was very frightened. Afterwards, by bribing the envoys, he ensured that they spoke in his favour before the army and crossed to his side. Having learned this, Julianus caused a decree ofthe Senate to be passed regarding his sharing of the empire with Severus. It is uncertain whether or not he did this as a trick, since he had already, before this, dispatched certain men, well known for their assassinations of generals, who were to kill Severus. Similarly he had sent men to assassinate Pescennius Niger, who had also assumed the position of emperor in opposition to him, on the instigation of the Syrian armies. But Severus escaped the hands of those that Julianus had sent to murder him and sent a letter to the praetorian guard, giving them the signal either to desertJulianus or to kill him. He was obeyed at once; Julianus was killed in the palace and Severus was invited to Rome. Thus Severus became the victor merely at will - something that had never happened to anyone - and hastened to Rome under arms. . . .

The same emperor, although implacable towards offences, likewise displayed singular judiciousness in encouraging all hard-working persons. He was quite interested in philosophy and the practice of rhetoric, and enthusiastic about learning in general. He took some measures against brigands everywhere. He composed a convincing autobiography dealing with both his private and his public life, making excuses only for the vice of cruelty. With regard to this, the Senate pronounced that either he ought not to have been born or that he ought not to die, since he appeared to be both excessively cruel and excessively useful to the republic. . . . . He died at Eboracum [York] in Britain, having subdued the tribes which appeared hostile to Britain, in the eighteeneh year of his reign, stricken by a very grave illness, now an old man. . . .

This emperor wore such meagre clothing that even his tunic scarcely had any purple, while he covered his shoulders with a shaggy cloak. He ate sparingly, being very addicted to his native vegetable, sometimes fond of wine, often abstaining from meat. His person was handsome, he was of huge size,(Dio Cassius, who knew Severus personally, says that he was small) with a long beard and curly white hair. His face inspired reverence, his voice was resonant but with a trace of an African accent right up to his old age. He was equally beloved after his death, when envy, or the fear of his cruelty, had disappeared.
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2009-Szentendre - roman cemeteryAt the end of the 2nd century a syrian archer troop with 1000 members [cohors I. miliaria Aur. Ant. Surorum sagittariorum] settled here against the sarmatians who lived to the opposite riverside of the Danube. It needed a similar capability troop, than the archer-rider sarmatians, who often crossed over the frozen river to pillage.
This stone relief with a panther (?) probably had a syrian officer.
berserker
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201c. Pescennius NigerGaius Pescennius Niger was governor of Syria in the year 193 when he learned of the emperor Pertinax's murder. Niger's subsequent attempt to claim the empire for himself ended in failure in Syria after roughly one year. His life before becoming governor of Syria is not well known. He was born in Italy to an equestrian family. He seems to have been older than his eventual rival Septimius Severus, so his birth should perhaps be placed ca. AD 135-40. Niger may have held an important position in the administration of Egypt. He won renown, along with Clodius Albinus, for participation in a military campaign in Dacia early in Commodus' reign. Although Niger could have been adlected into the senate before the Dacian campaign, he was by now pursuing a senatorial career and must have been held in high esteem by Commodus. Niger was made a suffect consul, probably in the late 180s, and he was sent as governor to the important province of Syria in 191.

Niger was a well-known and well-liked figure to the Roman populace. After Pertinax became emperor at the beginning of 193, many in Rome may have hoped that the elderly Pertinax would adopt Niger as his Caesar and heir, but Pertinax was murdered without having made succession plans. When Didius Julianus arrived at the senate house on 29 March 193, his first full day as emperor, a riot broke out among the Roman crowd. The rioters took over the Circus Maximus, from which they shouted for Niger to seize the throne. The rioters dispersed the following day, but a report of their demonstration may well have arrived in the Syrian capital, Antioch, with the news that Pertinax had been murdered and replaced by Julianus.

Spurred into action by the news, Niger had himself proclaimed emperor in Antioch. The governors of the other eastern provinces quickly joined his cause. Niger's most important ally was the respected proconsul of Asia, Asellius Aemilianus, and support began to spread across the Propontis into Europe. Byzantium welcomed Niger, who now was preparing further advances. Niger took the additional cognomen Justus, "the Just." Justice was promoted as the theme of his intended reign, and personifications of Justice appeared on his coins.

Other provincial governors, however, also set their sights on replacing Julianus. Albinus in Britain and Septimius Severus in Upper Pannonia (western Hungary) had each aspired to the purple, and Severus was marching an army on Rome. Severus was still 50 miles from the city when the last of Julianus' dwindling authority disappeared. Julianus was killed in Rome 1 June 193.

Niger sent messengers to Rome to announce his acclamation, but those messengers were intercepted by Severus. A deal was struck between Severus and Albinus that kept Albinus in Britain with the title of Caesar. The larger armies of the western provinces were now united in their support for Severus. Niger's support was confined to the east. Severus had Niger's children captured and held as hostages, and a legion was sent to confront Niger's army in Thrace.

The first conflict between the rival armies took place near Perinthus. Although Niger's forces may have inflicted greater casualties on the Severan troops, Niger was unable to secure his advance; he returned to Byzantium. By the autumn of 193, Severus had left Rome and arrived in the region, though his armies there continued to be commanded by supporters. Niger was offered the chance of a safe exile by Severus, but Niger refused.

Severan troops crossed into Asia at the Hellespont and near Cyzicus engaged forces supporting Niger under the command of Aemilianus. Niger's troops were defeated. Aemilianus attempted to flee but was captured and killed. Not long after, in late December 193 or early January 194, Niger was defeated in a battle near Nicaea and fled south to Antioch. Eastern provincial governors now switched their loyalty to Severus, and Niger faced revolts even in Syria. By late spring 194, the Severan armies were in Cilicia preparing to enter Syria. Niger and his army met the Severan troops near Issus. The battle was a decisive defeat for Niger, who fled back to Antioch. The Syrian capital that only one year earlier had cheered as Niger was proclaimed emperor now waited in fear for the approach of its new master. Niger prepared to flee once more, but outside Antioch he was captured and killed.

Despite his popularity with the Roman mob, Pescennius Niger lacked both the strong loyalty of other senatorial commanders and the number of soldiers that his rival Severus enjoyed. Niger was ultimately unable to make himself the true avenger of Pertinax, and his roughly one-year control of the eastern provinces never qualified him to be reckoned a legitimate emperor.

BITHYNIA, Caesarea. Pescennius Niger. AD 193-194. Æ 22mm (6.35 g). Laureate head right / KAICAREIAC GERMANIKHC, coiled serpent left. RG p. 282, 9, pl. XLIV, 8 (same dies); SNG Copenhagen -; SNG von Aulock -. Near VF, brown patina, rough surfaces. Very rare. Ex-CNG
2 commentsecoli
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204a. Julia PaulaIVLIA CORNELIA PAVLA was the daughter of Julius Paulus, who was a Praetorian Praefect under Elagablalus. The Emperor Elagabalus, who arrived in Rome in the autumn of 219, was quickly becoming unpopular. It was probably Julia Maesa, his grandmother, who conceived the plan to marry him to a well-born Roman woman for two reasons: 1) to counter his public displays of homosexual and trans-sexual tendencies, and 2) to soften the disdain Romans felt for Syrians. She became the first wife of the fifteen-year-old Elagabalus 219, but was divorced only one year later, and returned to private life.

JULIA PAULA, wife of Elagabalus. Augusta, 219 AD. AR Denarius (20mm, 2.67 gm). Rome mint. Draped bust right / Concordia seated left holding patera; star in left field. RIC IV 211 (Elagabalus); RSC 6a. Toned;Ex-Cng
1 commentsecoli
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204c. Julia SoaemiasJulia Soaemias Bassiana (180-March 11, 222) was the daughter of Julia Maesa, a powerful Roman woman of Syrian origin, and Julius Avitus. She was niece of emperor Septimius Severus and sister of Julia Avita Mamaea.

She was married to Sextus Varius Marcellus, a Syrian Roman of an Equestrian family (meaning not a member of the Roman senate). As members of the imperial Roman family, they lived in Rome, where their numerous children were born. In 217, her cousin emperor Caracalla was killed and Macrinus ascended to the imperial throne. Julia's family was allowed to returned to Syria with the whole of their financial assets. They would not allow the usurper to stand unopposed. Together with her mother, Julia plotted to substitute Macrinus with her son Varius Avitus Bassianus (Heliogabalus). To legitimise this plot, Julia and her mother spread the rumour that the 13-year-old boy was Caracalla's illegitimate son. In 218 Macrinus was killed and Heliogabalus became emperor. Julia then became the de facto ruler of Rome, since the teenager was concerned mainly with religious matters. Their rule was not popular and soon discontent arose. Julia Soaemias and Heliogabalus were killed by the Praetorian Guard in 222. Julia was later declared public enemy and her name erased from all records.

Julia Soaemias Denarius. 220 AD. IVLIA SOAEMIAS AVG, draped bust right / VENVS CAELESTIS, Venus seated left, holding scepter, extending her hand to Cupid standing before her. RSC 14.
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205a. Julia MamaeaJulia Avita Mamaea (180–235) was the daughter of Julia Maesa, a powerful Roman woman of Syrian origin, and Julius Avitus. She was a niece of emperor Septimius Severus and sister of Julia Soaemias Bassiana.

She was married to Gessius Marcianus had a son, later emperor Alexander Severus. Unlike her sister, Julia Mamaea was reported to be a virtuous woman, never involved in scandals. As a member of the Imperial Roman family, she watched closely the death of her cousin Caracalla and the ascent to power of her nephew Heliogabalus, the oldest grandson of Julia Maesa and her choice to the throne. But eventually Heliogabalus and his mother Julia Soaemias proved incompetent rulers and favour fell on Alexander, Julia's son. He became emperor in 222, following Heliogabalus's murder by the Praetorian Guard. Julia and her mother became regents in the name of Alexander, then 14 years old. Upon adulthood, Alexander confirmed his esteem for his mother and named her consors imperii (imperial consort). It was in this condition that she accompanied her son in his campaigns: a custom started with Julia Domna (Septimius Severus's wife). Thus she travelled to the East, for the campaign against the Parthian empire, and to the Germania provinces. Julia Mamaea was with Alexander in Moguntiacum (modern Mainz), capital of Germania Superior, when he was assassinated by his troops. She suffered the same fate.

Julia Mamaea Denarius. IVLIA MAMAEA AVG, diademed & draped bust right / VESTA, Vesta standing half-left, holding palladium & scepter. RSC 81.
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22117 Elagabalus/SacrificingElagabalus/Emperor Sacrificing
Obv: IMP. ANTONINUS PIUS AUG.
Bust of Elagabalus laureate and draped bust right, horn above forehead.
Rev: SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG
Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over tripod, holding branch downwards in left hand; in field, star
Mint: Rome 18mm 3.02g
RIC IV Elagabalus 146 Sear 7549
Ex: Savoca Auction 16th Blue Auction
Blayne W
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240 Valerian IValerian I, October 253 - c. June 260 A.D.
Billon antoninianus, Göbl MIR 1700l (Samosata), RIC V 287 (Antioch), SRCV III 9967 (uncertain Syrian mint), Fine or better, Syrian mint, 258 - 260 A.D.; obverse IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse RESTITVT ORIENTIS (restorer of the East), turreted female (the Orient) presenting wreath to the Emperor standing left holding spear, pellet in wreath above; Ex Forvm

"The false propaganda on the reverse is particularly ironic considering Valerian's fate. After years of war and great losses, Valerian arranged peace talks with the Sasanian Persian emperor Sapor. He set off with a small group to discuss terms and was never seen again. In Rome it was rumored that Sapor was using his stuffed body as a footstool."
2 commentsRandygeki(h2)
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3. Nero, Syrian Silver Tetradrachm, 63 ADAlexandrian Tetradrachm of Nero; young portrait
Obv. SEBASTOS NEPON KAISAP, young portrait of Nero
Rev. BIP (year 112 in Ceasarean era, 63 AD) Eagle clutching palm branch
1 commentsEcgþeow
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308. Valerian IRIC 209 Valerian I 253-260 AD AR Antoninianus of Moesia. Radiate draped bust/Aequitas standing holding balance and cornucopia.

Publius Licinius Valerianus (ca. 200-260), known in English as Valerian, was Roman emperor from 253 to 260. His full Latin title was IMPERATOR · CAESAR · PVBLIVS · LICINIVS · VALERIANVS · PIVS FELIX · INVICTVS · AVGVSTVS — in English, "Emperor Caesar Publius Licinus Valerianus Pious Lucky Undefeated Augustus."

Unlike the majority of the usurpers of the crisis of the third century, Valerian was of a noble and traditional Senatorial family. Details of his early life are elusive, but his marriage to Egnatia Mariniana who gave him two sons: Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus and Valerianus Minor is known.

In 238 he was princeps senatus, and Gordian I negotiated through him for Senatorial acknowledgement for his claim as Emperor. In 251, when Decius revived the censorship with legislative and executive powers so extensive that it practically embraced the civil authority of the Emperor, Valerian was chosen censor by the Senate. Under Decius he was nominated governor of the Rhine provinces of Noricum and Raetia and retained the confidence of his successor, Trebonianus Gallus, who asked him for reinforcements to quell the rebellion of Aemilianus in 253. Valerian headed south, but was too late: Gallus' own troops killed him and joined Aemilianus before his arrival. The Raetian soldiers then proclaimed Valerian emperor and continued their march towards Rome. At the time of his arrival in September, Aemilianus' legions defected, killing him and proclaiming Valerian emperor. In Rome, the Senate quickly acknowledged him, not only for fear of reprisals, but also because he was one of their own.

Valerian's first act as emperor was to make his son Gallienus colleague. In the beginning of his reign the affairs in Europe went from bad to worse and the whole West fell into disorder. In the East, Antioch had fallen into the hands of a Persian vassal, Armenia was occupied by Shapur I (Sapor). Valerian and Gallienus split the problems of the Empire between the two, with the son taking the West and the father heading East to face the Persian threat.

By 257, Valerian had already recovered Antioch and returned the Syrian province to Roman control but in the following year, the Goths ravaged Asia Minor. Later in 259, he moved to Edessa, but an outbreak of plague killed a critical number of legionaries, weakening the Roman position. Valerian was then forced to seek terms with Shapur I. Sometime towards the end of 259, or at the beginning of 260, Valerian was defeated and made prisoner by the Persians (making him the only Roman Emperor taken captive). It is said that he was subjected to the greatest insults by his captors, such as being used as a human stepladder by Shapur when mounting his horse. After his death in captivity, his skin was stuffed with straw and preserved as a trophy in the chief Persian temple. Only after Persian defeat in last Persia-Roman war three and a half centuries later was his skin destroyed.
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408. MaxentiusMarcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius, more commonly known as Maxentius, was the child of the Emperor Maximianus Herculius and the Syrian Eutropia; he was born ca. 278 A.D. After Galerius' appointment to the rank of Caesar on 1 March 293, Maxentius married Galerius' daughter Valeria Maximilla, who bore him a son named Romulus and another son whose name is unknown. Due to his haughty nature and bad disposition, Maxentius could seldom agree with his father or his father-in-law; Galerius' and Maximianus Herculius' aversion to Maxentius prevented the young man from becoming a Caesar in 305. Little else is known of Maxentius' private life prior to his accession and, alth ough there is some evidence that it was spent in idleness, he did become a Senator.

On 28 October 306 Maxentius was acclaimed emperor, although he was politcally astute enough not to use the title Augustus; like the Emperor Augustus, he called himself princeps. It was not until the summer of 307 that he started usi ng the title Augustus and started offending other claimants to the imperial throne. He was enthroned by the plebs and the Praetorians. At the time of his acclamation Maxentius was at a public villa on the Via Labicana. He strengthened his position with promises of riches for those who helped him obtain his objective. He forced his father Maximianus Herculius to affirm his son's acclamation in order to give his regime a facade of legitimacy. His realm included Italy, Africa, Sardinia, and Corsica. As soon as Galerius learned about the acclamation of Herculius' son, he dispatched the Emperor Severus to quell the rebellion. With the help of his father and Severus' own troops, Maxentius' took his enemy prisoner.

When Severus died, Galerius was determined to avenge his death. In the early summer of 307 the Augustus invaded Italy; he advanced to the south and encamped at Interamna near the Tiber. His attempt to besiege the city was abortive because his army was not large enough to encompass the city's fortifications. Negotiations between Maxentius and Galerius broke down when the emperor discovered that the usurper was trying to win over his troops. Galerius' troops were open to Maxentius' promises because they were fighting a civil war between members of the same family; some of the soldiers went over to the enemy. Not trusting his own troops, Galerius withdrew. During its retreat, Galerius' army ravaged the Italian countryside as it was returning to its original base. If it was not enough that Maxentius had to deal with the havoc created by the ineffectual invasions of Severus and Galerius, he also had to deal with his father's attempts to regain the throne between 308 and 310. When Maximianus Herculius was unable to regain power by pushing his son off his throne, he attempted to win over Constantine to his cause. When this plan failed, he tried to win Diocletian over to his side at Carnuntum in October and November 308. Frustrated at every turn, Herculius returned to his son-in-law Constantine's side in Gaul where he died in 310, having been implicated in a plot against his son-in-law. Maxentius' control of the situation was weakened by the revolt of L. Domitius Alexander in 308. Although the revolt only lasted until the end of 309, it drastically cut the size of the grain supply availble for Rome. Maxentius' rule collapsed when he died on 27 October 312 in an engagement he had with the Emperor Constantine at the Milvian Bridge after the latter had invaded his realm.

Maxentius Follis. Ostia mint. IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right / AETE-RNITAS A-VGN, Castor and Pollux standing facing each other, each leaning on sceptre and holding bridled horse.
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AE Spearhead #25Western Asia
1200-800 BC
17.8 cm
(7”)

This spearhead was listed as Syrian. For a similar Persian example:
Cf. Negahban (Weapons from Marlik) Pl. X, Fig. 125

Description:
Tapering triangular blade with rounded midrib, nearly square (very slightly deltoid) shoulders, and medium-length tang.
Kamnaskires
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Aeolis, Myrina. Pseudo-autonomous AE17. AD 253-268. Amazon MyrinaObv: MVPE-INA, draped, turreted bust of Amazon Myrina left.
Rev: ΜVΡEΙΝΑΩΝ, Tyche in long chiton with cornucopia in l. and rudder in r., standing left.

Myrina, mythological queen of the Amazons. According to Diodorus Siculus she led a military expedition in Libya and won a victory over the people known as the Atlantians, destroying their city Cerne; but was less successful fighting the Gorgons (who are described by Diodorus as a warlike nation residing in close proximity to the Atlantians), failing to burn down their forests. During a later campaign, she struck a treaty of peace with Horus, ruler of Egypt, conquered several peoples, including the Syrians, the Arabians, and the Cilicians (but granted freedom to those of the latter who gave in to her of their own will). She also took possession of Greater Phrygia, from the Taurus Mountains to the Caicus River, and several Aegean islands, including Lesbos; she was also said to be the first to land on the previously uninhabited island which she named Samothrace, building the temple there. The cities of Myrina (in Lemnos), possibly another Myrina in Mysia, Mytilene, Cyme, Pitane, and Priene were believed to have been founded by her, and named after herself, her sister Mytilene, and the commanders in her army, Cyme, Pitane and Priene, respectively. Myrina's army was eventually defeated by Mopsus the Thracian and Sipylus the Scythian; she, as well as many of her fellow Amazons, fell in the final battle. -Wikipedia
1 commentsancientone
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Aksumite, AnonymousObverse: Draped bust right, wearing headcloth ('King')
Reverse: Greek cross within circle, with greek legend ('May this please the country')
Date : Circa AD 340-425
Reference : Munro-Hay Type 52; BMC Aksum 140
Grade : VF
Weight : 1.12 g
Metal : AE
Comments : 13mm, The most common of all axumite coins, they are generally attributed to King Ezana, the first Christian King of the Axumites. Part of now Ethiopia, Axum (Askum) was in the path of the ancient commercial trade routes between Africa, Arabia, and India, as a result it became a very wealth and cosmopolitan centre in the ancient world. In the second century AD, Aksum expanded its empire acquired tribute states on the Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea, conquered northern Ethiopia, and then finally conquered Kush.

In the fourth century, King Ezana, converted to Christianity under the influence of a Syrian bishop named Frumentius and declared Axum to be a Christian state. Axum remained a strong empire and trading power until the rise of Islam in the seventh century AD, when it became cut off from its major trading partners. However, because the Axumites had sheltered Muhammed's first followers, the Muslims never attempted to overthrow Axum as they spread across the face of Africa.

Of general interest they are the only coins minted in sub saharian africa during the ancient times and one of the first nations to offically convert to Christianity and to show Christian icons on their coins.
Peattie
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Antiochos VII (in the name of) tetradrachm, c. 130 - 80 BC29-32mm, 16.29g
obv: diademed head right
rev: Athena standing left, Nike in right, spear and shield in left, ligate ∆Ι / A left, Nike extends wreath into laurel wreath border
From FORVM Ancient coins: Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian King Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII.

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1 commentsareich
Antiochos_VII_(posthumous_Cappadocian_issue,_reigned_138129_BCE)_tetradrachm_(AR).png
Antiochos VII (posthumous Cappadocian issue, reigned 138-129 BCE) tetradrachm (AR)Obv.: Diademed head of king Rev.: BASILEWS ANTIOXOY EYEPGETOY (Athena Nikephoros std. within laurel wreath) Field: Monogram above A, phi in right side of field Diameter: 28 mm Weight: 16,43 g SC 2143.2; HGC 9, 1068

These tetradrachms were probably issued in the Kingdom of Cappadocia to fund the usage of Syrian mercenaries. Antiochos VII could be called the last great Seleucid king. He undertook several successful campaigns in the East to reclaim territory lost to the Parthian advance. After his death, however, the Seleucid Empire was rapidly confined to Syria.
1 commentsNick.vdw
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Antiochos XII 87-84 BCAntiochus XII 87–86/5 BC, Damascus mint Ae 22mm, Weight 7.1g. Obv: Beardless diademed bust of Antiochus XII right. Rev: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΟΠΑΤΟΡΟΣ ΚΑΛΛΙΝΙΚΟΥ – Tyche standing left with palm branch in right hand and cornucopia in left, dotted border. Reference: SC 2, 2476; SNG Israel I, Nos. 2900–2902. SPAER 2897

Antiochus XII Dionysus (Epiphanes/Philopator/Callinicus), a ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom who reigned 87–84 BC, was the fifth son of Antiochus VIII Grypus and Tryphaena to take up the diadem. He succeeded his brother Demetrius III Eucaerus as separatist ruler of the southern parts of the last remaining Seleucid realms, basically Damascus and its surroundings.

Antiochus initially gained support from Ptolemaic forces and was the last Seleucid ruler of any military reputation, even if it was on a local scale. He made several raids into the territories of the Jewish Hasmonean kings, and tried to check the rise of the Nabataean Arabs. A battle against the latter turned out to be initially successful, until the young king was caught in a melee and killed by an Arab soldier. Upon his death the Syrian army fled and mostly perished in the desert. Soon after, the Nabateans conquered Damascus.

Antiochus' titles - apart from Dionysos - mean respectively (God) Manifest, Father-loving and Beautiful Victor. The last Seleucid kings often used several epithets on their coins.
ddwau
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Babylonian/Syrian weight; 1/16 shekel/qedet 1/16 shekel; (0.69g=1/16 of 8.28g shekel) Hematite sphendonoid flat base, 10 by 5mm at waist.
13-14th century B.C.E
Hendin 52
wileyc
20_4mm1_06g.jpg
Babylonian/Syrian weight; 1/8 shekel/qedet (1.06g=1/8 shekel of 8.48g) Hematite sphendonoid ellipsoid

20mm by 4mm wide at waist

1.06g
13th-14 century B.C.E
Hendin 51
wileyc
BCC_GR10_Antiochos_VII_Euergetes.jpg
BCC GR10 Seleucid Kingdom Antiochos VII EuergetesGreek Seleucid Empire
Antiochus VII Euergetes 138-129 BCE
Syrian Mint AE Denomination B
Obv: Winged bust of Eros right.
Rev: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXOY EYEΡΓETOY
Headress of Isis, ΔI monogram to left,
star below, date: SOP=176 (137/136 BCE)
18.5mm. 5.13gm. Axis:30
SC II 2067.5d
Surface find, Caesarea Maritima, 1974.
v-drome
BCC_IS10_islamic_c_m_follis_a.jpg
BCC IS10 Early Islamic Imitation of Constans IIEarly Islamic - AE Fals with C/M
Pseudo-Byzantine imitation of
Constans II ca. 640-670 CE
Uncertain Mint (Syrian?)
Obv: Standing Emperor with [globus
cruciger] and staff surmounted by
cross. To right, Arabic countermark:
جيد Jayyid (good)
Rev: Cursive M surmounted by cross.
Traces of inscription below.
22.5mm. 3.72gm. Axis:0
Surface find, Caesarea Maritima, 1977
J. Berlin Caesarea Collection
v-drome
BCC_IS8_Umayyad_Fals.jpg
BCC IS8 Pseudo-Byzantine imitation of Constans IIUmayyad Period - AE Fals
Pseudo-Byzantine SICA Type E, 'LITOIE'
group, Imitation of Constans II group I-IV.
ca. 640-670 CE Uncertain Syrian Mint
Obv: Standing Emperor with globus
cruciger and staff surmounted by cross.
Pseudo inscription around [ Э I T Λ ] I X
Rev: Cursive M surmounted by cross.
Pseudo inscription around ~ Э Λ retrograde
C (or crescent) O....Λ
20mm. 3.04gm. Axis:0
see: Walker BMC II pp. xcvi ff. and
A. Oddy 'The Christian coinage of early
Muslim Syria', ARAM 15 (2003) pp. 185-196.
Plate 3, number 2 (die match)
Surface find, Caesarea Maritima, 1972
v-drome
6098.JPG
Byzantine seal invoking Ephraim the Syrian - 11th century ADByzantine lead seal Ephraim 11th century AD
Nimbate half-length bust of Saint Ephraim, holding cross in right hand and scroll in left hand; to left:
Θ|E|V; to r.: Φ|P|E
+|EVΦPAIM|CKEΠOIC M,|TON CVNW|NVMON|ΠATEP in five lines
17mm; 4.47g; extremely fine.

This seems to be the only known Byzantine seal with the portrait of Ephraim/Ephrem the Syrian.

The reverse legend is a twelve syllable verse which translates “Father Ephraim, may you protect me, who shares your name.”
2 commentsGert
C__Vibius_Pansa_C_f.jpg
C. Vibius C.f. C.n. Pansa Caetronianus - AR denariusRome
48 BC
mask of Pan right
PANSA
radiate Jupiter Axurus seated left, holding patera and long scepter
IOVIS·AXVR·_C·VIBIVS·C·F·C·N
Crawford 449/1a; SRCV I 420; Sydenham 947; RSC I Vibia 18; Sear CRI 20
3,9g 17mm
ex Roma Numismatics

Coin depicts radiated beardless Jupiter Axurus who seems to be simmilar to the Apollo, Sol or Syrian Jupiter Heliopolitanus. His temple complex from the first century BC stood on the cliff above town Terracina which gave to the world the word terrace.

Moneyer was adoptive son of C Vibius C.f. Pansa. He became tribune in 51 BC and supported Caesar. In 43 BC he and Aulus Hirtius were sent with two senate armies to attack Marc Antony. Their armies won the battle of Forum Gallorum near Mutina but Hirtius died in the battle and Pansa was mortally wounded so Octavian Caesar became commander of the whole army.
J. B.
comp.jpg
Antiochus.jpg
Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C.; In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VIISilver tetradrachm, Houghton II 655 (same dies), SNG Spaer -, Newell SMA -, gVF, weight 16.157g, maximum diameter 28.8mm, die axis 0o, posthumous, c. 130 - 80 B.C.; obverse diademed head of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII right, fillet border; reverse BASILEWS ANTIOCOU EUERGETOU, Athena standing left, Nike in right, spear and shield in left, ligate DI / A left, A inner left, G inner right, Nike crowns epithet, laurel wreath border; scarce;

Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian King Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII.

Ex Houghton collection
Ex Forum
1 commentsPhiloromaos
ant_pan.jpg
Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C.; In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochus VIISilver tetradrachm, (Houghton II 642 ff., SNG Spaer 1855, Newell SMA 282), Weight 16.560g, Max. diameter 27.9mm, Obv. diademed head of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII right, fillet border; Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ ANTIOXDOY EYEPΠETOY, Athena standing left, Nike in right, spear and shield in left, ligate ΔI / A left, Nike extends wreath into laurel wreath border. Toned, some light scratches.

EX. Forvm Ancient Coins

Background info, courtesy Forvm Ancient Coins;

Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian King Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII.

4 commentsSteve E
Cappadocian Kingdom 1a img.jpg
Cappadocian Kingdom, Tetradrachm, In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VIISilver tetradrachm
Obv:– Diademed head of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII right, fillet border.
Rev:– BASILEWS ANTIOCOU EUERGETOU, Athena standing left, Nike in right, spear and shield in left, ligate DI / A left, Nike extends wreath into laurel wreath border
c. 130 - 80 B.C.; In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VII, 138 - 129 B.C.
Ref:– Houghton II 642 (same dies), SNG Spaer 1855, Newell SMA 282

Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian king Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII.

Grey tone.

Ex-Forvm
1 commentsmaridvnvm
Cappadocian_Kingdom_1a_img.jpg
Cappadocian Kingdom, Tetradrachm, In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VIISilver tetradrachm
Obv:– Diademed head of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII right, fillet border.
Rev:– BASILEWS ANTIOCOU EUERGETOU, Athena standing left, Nike in right, spear and shield in left, ligate DI / A left, Nike extends wreath into laurel wreath border
c. 130 - 80 B.C.; In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VII, 138 - 129 B.C.
Ref:– Houghton II 642 (same dies), SNG Spaer 1855, Newell SMA 282

Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian king Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII.

Grey tone.

Ex-Forvm

Updated image using new photography setup.
maridvnvm
antiochos_VII_tetra.jpg
Cappadocian Kingdom/ In the name of Antiochos VII; tetradrachm; NikeCappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C.; In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VII, 138 - 129 B.C. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton II 651 ff. (different dies), SNG Spaer -, Newell SMA -, VF, grainy, 15.919g, 29.4mm, 0o, posthumous, c. 130 - 80 B.C.; obverse diademed head of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII right, fillet border; reverse “BASILEWS ANTIOCOU EUERGETOU”, Athena standing left, Nike in right, spear and shield in left, ligate “DI” / A left, ligate “OD” inner left, K inner right, Nike crowns epithet, laurel wreath border. Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian King Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII. Ex FORVMPodiceps
23712_cappadocia__antiochos_VII_tetratetradrachm,_Houghton_II_644.jpg
Cappadocian Kingdom/ In the name of Antiochos VII; tetradrachm; NikeCappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C.; In the Name of the Seleukid King, Antiochos VII, 138 - 129 B.C. Silver tetradrachm, Houghton II 644 (same dies), SNG Spaer 1855, Newell SMA 282, VF, toned, 16.302g, 29.6mm, 0o, obverse diademed head of the Seleukid King Antiochos VII right, fillet border; reverse “BASILEWS ANTIOCOU EUERGETOU”, Athena standing left holding Nike, spear and shield, “DI” monogram above A left, Nike extends wreath into laurel wreath border. Oliver Hoover, in Coins of the Seleucid Empire from the Collection of Arthur Houghton, attributes this type to the Cappadocian Kingdom, c. 130 - 80 B.C. The symbols were used on Cappadocian royal coinage, the coins are found in Cappadocian hoards and a tetradrachm naming the Cappadocian King Ariarathes VII Philometor (116 - 99 B.C.) bears the obverse portrait of Antiochus VII. He notes they may have been struck to pay foreign (Syrian?) mercenaries who preferred the types of Antiochus VII. Ex FORVM, photo credit FORVMPodiceps
Caracalla_~1.jpg
Caracalla * Lucius Septimius Bassianus * & Agathedaemon Serpent * 196-217 AD. Æ 28mm
THRACE, Serdica. Caracalla. 198-217 AD. Æ 28mm

Obv: AVT K M AVP CEV ANTWNEINOC, laureate and cuirassed bust right; viewed from behind
Rev: OULPIAC CEPDIKHC, Agathedaemon serpent, coiled and erect.

BMC Thrace pg. 174, 23.
Moushmov 4860
Rate F+

Glossy darkish-brown patina


"The elder of the two sons of the emperor Septimius Severus, Caracalla is best-known for arranging the murder of his brother Geta after the two engaged in a power struggle in the months after their father's death. The murder offended contemporaries and colored the following five years of Caracalla's reign, a reign that ended on a Syrian road with the emperor's own murder."

~ DIR USC, Michael L. Meckler
8 commentsTiathena
c3.jpg
Caracalla - Salus helping back up a roman citizenDenarius after 200
O/ ANTONINUS AUGUSTUS Older boy's laureate bust draped and cuirassed right
R/ SAL GEN - HUM Salus standing half-left, holding serpent-wreathed sceptre and extending right hand to figure kneeling before her
C 558 - RIC 350
Mint: Laodicea ad Mare
On syrian coins the head is less stereotyped than on roman coins
1 commentsseptimus
caracalla_syrian_ar_tetra.JPG
CARACALLA Augustus billon TÉTRADRACHME SYRO-PHÉNICIEN (215 - 217).CARACALLA Augustus Augustus. Prieur820\\\\(41 ex.) - billon TÉTRADRACHME SYRO-PHÉNICIEN (215 - 217). AEF . Carrhæ. (11.53g. 26.5mm.)
ROMAN PROVINCIAL COINAGE, MESOPOTAMIA, CARRHAE MINT, AR - TETRADRACHM, CARACALLA 198-217 (13,2g - 7h)

Caracalla AR Tetradrachm of Carrhae, Mesopotamia. AD 215-217. AVT K M A ANTΩNEINOC CEB, laureate head right / ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΥΠΑΤΟ Δ, eagle standing to right with wings spread on bucranium, holding wreath in beak. Prieur 820.
1 commentsAntonivs Protti
9965.jpg
Carrhae in Mesopotamia, Septimius Severus, AE 24, Lindgren 2557Carrhae in Mesopotamia, Septimius Severus, AE 24, 193-211 AD
Av.: CEΠTIMIOC [CE]OY.... , naked (laureate?) bust of Septimius Severus right
Rv.: ..Λ]OY KAPPH ΛKA... , front view of a tetrastyle temple, the temple of the moon god Sin, in the middle a sacred stone on tripod, on top of stone: crescent, standards (with crescents on top) on both sides inside the building; another crescent in the pediment.
Lindgren 2557 ; BMC p. 82, #4

The city and the region played an important role in roman history.

Carrhae / Harran, (Akkadian Harrânu, "intersecting roads"; Latin Carrhae), an ancient city of strategic importance, an important town in northern Mesopotamia, famous for its temple of the moon god Sin, is now nothing more than a village in southeastern Turkey with an archeological site.
In the Bible it is mentioned as one of the towns where Abraham stayed on his voyage from Ur to the promised land. Abraham's family settled there when they left Ur of the Chaldeans (Genesis 11:31-32).
Inscriptions indicate that Harran existed as early as 2000 B.C. In its prime, it controlled the point where the road from Damascus joins the highway between Nineveh and Carchemish. This location gave Harran strategic value from an early date. It is frequently mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions about 1100 BC, under the name Harranu, or "Road" (Akkadian harrānu, 'road, path, journey' ).
During the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Harran became the stronghold of its lasts king, Ashur-uballit II, being besiged and conquered by Nabopolassar of Babylon at 609 BC. Harran became part of Median Empire after the fall of Assyria, and subsequently passed to the Persian Achaemenid dynasty.
The city remained Persian untill in 331 BC when the soldiers of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great entered the city.
After the death of Alexander on 11 June 323 BC, the city was claimed by his successors: Perdiccas, Antigonus Monophthalmus and Eumenes. These visited the city, but eventually, it became part of the Asian kingdom of Seleucos I (Nicator), the Seleucid empire, and capital of a province called Osrhoene (the Greek term for the old name Urhai).
The Seleucids settled Macedonian veterans at Harran. For a century-and-a-half, the town flourished, and it became independent when the Parthian dynasty of Persia occupied Babylonia. The Parthian and Seleucid kings both needed the buffer state of Osrhoene which was part of the larger Parthian empire and had nearby Edessa as its capital. The dynasty of the Arabian Abgarides, technically a vassal of the Parthian "king of kings" ruled Osrhoene for centuries.

Carrhae was the scene of a disastrous defeat of the Roman general Crassus by the Parthians. In 53 BC. Crassus, leading an army of 50.000, conducted a campaign against Parthia. After he captured a few cities on the way, he hurried to cross the Euphrates River with hopes of receiving laurels and the title of “Emperor”. But as he drove his forces over Rakkan towards Harran, Parthian cavalry besieged his forces in a pincers movement. In the ensuing battle, the Roman army was defeated and decimated. The battle of Carrhae was the beginning of a series of border wars with Parthia for many centuries. Numismatic evidence for these wars or the corresponding peace are for instance the "Signis Receptis" issues of Augustus and the “Janum Clusit” issues of Nero.
Later Lucius Verus tried to conquer Osrhoene and initially was successful. But an epidemic made an annexation impossible. However, a victory monument was erected in Ephesus, and Carrhae/Harran is shown as one of the subject towns.
Septimius Severus finally added Osrhoene to his realms in 195. The typical conic domed houses of ancient Harran can be seen on the Arch of Septimius Severus on the Forum Romanum.
Harran was the chief home of the moon-god Sin, whose temple was rebuilt by several kings. Sin was one of the great gods of the Assurian-Babylonian pantheon.
Caracalla gave Harran the status of a colonia (214 AD) and visited the city and the temple of the moon god in April 217. Meanwhile the moon god (and sacred stones) had become a part of the Roman pantheon and the temple a place to deify the roman emperors (as the standards on both sides of the temple indicate).

Caracalla was murdered while he was on his way from Temple to the palace. If this had been arranged by Macrinus - the prefect of the Praetorian guard who was to be the new emperor – is not quite clear. On the eighth of April, the emperor and his courtiers made a brief trip to the world famous temple of the moon god. When Caracalla halted to perform natural functions, he was assassinated by one of his bodyguards, Julius Martialis, who had a private grudge against the ruler, because he had not been given the post of centurion.

In 296 AD Roman control was again interrupted when nearby Carrhae the emperor Galerius was defeated by the king Narses / the Sasanid dynasty of Persia. The Roman emperor Julianus Apostata sacrificed to the moon god in 363 AD, at the beginning of his ill-fated campaign against the Sassanid Persians. The region continued to be a battle zone between the Romans and Sassanids. It remained Roman (or Byzantine) until 639, when the city finally was captured by the Muslim armies.

At that time, the cult of Sin still existed. After the arrival of the Islam, the adherents of other religions probably went to live in the marshes of the lower Tigris and Euphrates, and are still known as Mandaeans.
The ancient city walls surrounding Harran, 4 kilometer long and 3 kilometer wide, have been repaired throughout the ages (a.o. by the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the sixth century), and large parts are still standing. The position of no less than 187 towers has been identified. Of the six gates (Aleppo gate, Anatolian, Arslanli, Mosul, Baghdad, and Rakka gate), only the first one has remained.

A citadel was built in the 14th century in place of the Temple of Sin. This lies in the south-west quarter of the ancient town. Its ruin can still be visited.

my ancient coin database
1 commentsArminius
anazarbos_domtian_SNGLevnte1369.jpg
Cilicia, Anazarbos (as Kaisareia), Domitian, SNG Levante 1369Domitian, 81-96
AE 20 (Hemiassarion), 5.57g, 19.77mm, 0°
struck 93/94 (year 112)
obv. [A]V KAI DOMITIA - NOC CEBA GER KAI
Bust, laureate, l., star behind.
rev. [K]AICAREWN.
Bearded head of Zeus Olybrios, diademed, r.
in l. and r. field [IB] - R (CY 112) = 112)
ref. RPC II, 256, 1750; Waddington 4109; Lindgren I, 2192; SNG France II, 2014;
SNG Levante 1369; Ziegler, Anazarbos, 73, 2
rare, S+, black patina, somewhat rough (corrosion).

These rare coins of the city of Kaisareia at Anazarbos were formerly mostly given to Kaisareia Panias in the Syrian Trachonitis. (Münzen&Medaillen GmbH)

Jochen
15209134281481306291510.jpg
Crawford 311/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, L. Scipio AsiagenusRome, The Republic.
L. Scipio Asiagenus, 106 BCE.
AR Serrate Denarius (3.95g; 19mm).
Rome Mint.

Obv: Laureate head of Jupiter facing left; R● (control mark) behind.

Rev: Jupiter in quadriga galloping right, hurling thunderbolt and holding scepter; L●SCIP●ASIAG in exergue.

References: Crawford 311/1a; Sydenham 576; BMCRR 1372; Cornelia 24

Provenance: Ex Gemini XII (11 Jan 2015), Lot 287; HJB 163 (25 March 2009), lot 224; ex A.K. Collection [Triton XII (6 Jan 2009), lot 462 (part)]; Münzhandlung E. Button Auction 101 (28-29 October 1959), Lot 149.

Each control mark in this series is a single die. The reverse recalls the moneyer's ancestor, L. Cornelius Scipio (son of Africanus), who had a victory against the Syrians in 190 BCE and took the name Asiagenus. The moneyer was likely the L. Cornelius Asiaticus that became consul in 83 BCE. He served in the Social War and was allied with Marius at the time of his consulship. He was imprisoned by Sulla and released. However he was later proscribed by Sulla and fled Rome.
3 commentsCarausius
MISC_Crusaders_Antioch_Bohemond_III_Metcalf_Class_C.JPG
Crusader States: Principality of Antioch. Bohemond III (1163-1201)Metcalf Class C 388-391; Malloy 65-67

Billon Denier, struck circa 1163-1188, 18 mm

Obv: +BOANVNDVS [A ornamented with annulets, retrograde N’s], helmeted and mailed head left, crescent and star on either side.

Rev: +ANTIOCNIA [A’s ornamented with annulets, retrograde N’s], cross pattée, crescent in second quarter.

The Principality of Antioch was a crusader state created in 1098 during the First Crusade by Normans from Italy. In 1268, Baibars, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, took the city.

Bohemond (1144–1201), the “Stammerer” or the “Stutterer,” was the son of Constance of Antioch, the daughter of Bohemond II, by her first husband Raymond II of Poitiers, who was killed at the Battle of Inab in 1149 toward the end of the Second Crusade. She ruled as regent from 1149 until 1163, when Bohemond, with the assistance of King Baldwin III of Jerusalem, forced her to step down.

In 1164, Bohemond was captured by Nur ad-Din Zengi, who ruled the Syrian province of the Seljuk Empire, at the Battle of Harim. He was freed for a large ransom due to the intervention of King Amalric I of Jerusalem and Emperor Manuel I Comnenus. In 1192, after the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem following the battle of Hattin, Bohemond signed a truce with Saladin. Due to the truce, he remained neutral during the Third Crusade.

Bohemond clashed with Levon I of Armenia, who aspired to expand his kingdom. He was captured by Levon and forced to cede the Principality to Levon. However, the Antiochenes named Bohemond’s eldest son, Raymond IV of Tripoli, as their prince. Bohemond and Levon ultimately reconciled, and Raymond married Levon’s neice, Alice, who died shortly after giving birth to their son, Raymond-Roupen. Bohemond died in 1201 and the succession was disputed between his second son, Bohemond IV, and his grandson, Raymond-Roupen.
Stkp
tripoli_sidon.jpg
Crusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 . AE - PougeoiseCrusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 .
AE - Pougeoise . 15mm.
Obverse : Uncertain blundered Arabic legend, cross pommeté, pellets in upper left and lower right quarters.
Reverse : uncertain blundered Arabic legend, six-rayed chrismon pommeté .
CCS 35 .
Very Rare .
Vladislav D
9C6D2C04-80EC-4212-8765-A3B60EB50585.jpeg
Crusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 . AE - Pougeoise .Crusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 .
AE - Pougeoise . 0.63 g
Obverse : Uncertain blundered Arabic legend, cross pommeté, pellets in upper left and lower right quarters.
Reverse : uncertain blundered Arabic legend, six-rayed chrismon

CCS 35 .
Ex Byzantium Coins, Wolfgang Leimenstoll, Gundelfingen, April 2011.
Ex Erich Wäckerlin collection
Ex Münzen & Medaillen GmbH
Auction 47 lot 67
Vladislav D
trsid.jpg
Crusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 . AE - PougeoiseCrusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 .
AE - Pougeoise . 14-17 mm ; 0,5 g
Obverse : Uncertain blundered Arabic legend, cross pommeté, pellets in upper left and lower right quarters.
Reverse : uncertain blundered Arabic legend, six-rayed chrismon pommeté .
CCS 35 .
Very Rare .
Vladislav D
sd.jpg
Crusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 . AE - Pougeoise Crusaders, Tripoli, Sidon or Other Uncertain Syrian City, 1250 - 1268 .
AE - Pougeoise . 16 mm , 0.53 g
Obverse : uncertain blundered Arabic legend, six-rayed chrismon pommeté .
Reverse : Uncertain blundered Arabic legend, cross pommeté, pellets in upper left and lower right quarters.

CCS 35 .
Very Rare .
Vladislav D
Cyprus.png
CyprusRoman Cyprus was a key spot for important political and religious functions. It was also a strategic base for trade in the Mediterranean. Consistently occupied throughout history, Cyprus has been home to several strong and competing powers such as the Assyrians, Egyptians, Macedonians, and in particular the Romans. Cyprus was annexed by the Romans in 58 B.C., but until 22 B.C. when Cyprus became an official senatorial province, control over the island fluctuated between the Romans and the Ptolemaic Empire.[1] Yet, from the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. to the Byzantine Empire in the 4th century, Cyprus was controlled by the Romans. And in 293 AD, Cyprus officially became part of the Eastern Roman Empire.ancientone
EB0498_scaled.JPG
EB0498 Elagabalus / SacrificingElagabalus, AE AS, 218-222 AD.
Obv: IMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, draped bust right.
Rev: S-C [P M] TR P IIII COS III P P: Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over lighted altar, holding club in left hand; behind altar, bull crouching; star in left field.
References: RIC IV 329.
Diameter: 24mm, Weight: 8.787 grams.
EB
EB0710_scaled.JPG
EB0710 Hadrian / WreathHadrian 117-138, Antioch ad Orontem, Syria, AE 27.
Obverse: [ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙС Θ ΤΡ Π ΥΙ Θ ΝΕΡ ΥΙω ΤΡ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС СΕΒΑС?], Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right; Countermark: laurel-branch with four leaves in rectangular punch.
Reverse: Large SC within laurel wreath; ΓΔ below.
References: Cf. RPC III, 3694; BMC Galatia 298,299, p186; McAlee 536(b). For ΓΔ meaning, see NUMERICAL LETTERS ON SYRIAN COINS by Kevin Butcher; For counterstamp see ANS Museum notes 22, pl.8 #9.
Diameter: 27.5mm, Weight: 14.595g.
EB
berptolOR.jpg
Egypt, Ptolemy III (Berenike), Svoronos 1056Svoronos 1056, Ptolemy III. Depicting Berenike (wife of Ptolemy III) and an open-wing eagle on the reverse. It should have an inscription on the obverse, a little unusual for Ptolemaic coins, possibly too worn or corroded to see clearly on this one. These are thought to be issues of a short-lived mint in Northern Syria, possibly during the 3rd Syrian war of ca. 246-241BC early in the reign of Ptolemy III (partly a mission to rescue his doomed sister who married into the Seleukid royal family). There is a 'family' of about 10 bronze types which depict Berenike, different sizes variations. This type would have some letters to the left of the eagle, off the flan on this specimen. (Info from PtolemAE)casata137ec
elagabal_131.jpg
Elagabal RIC IV, 131Elagabal 218 - 222
AR - Denar, 3.04g, 19mm
Rome AD 221
obv. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG
draped bust, laureate head r., with 'horn' on forehead
rev. SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB
Elagabal, laureate, in Syrian priestly robe, standing r. at lighted altar, holding club l. and
patera r.
star in r. field
RIC IV, 131; C.246
EF, uncirculated
From Forum Ancient Coins, thanks!

STAR in field here always means mint of Rome!
1 commentsJochen
elagabal_146.jpg
Elagabal RIC IV, 146Elagabal, AD 218-222
AR - denarius, 3.34g, 18.5mm
Rome, AD 220-222
obv. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG
Bust, draped, laureate, wearing 'horn', r.
rev. SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG
Emperor, in Syrian priest garment, wearing 'horn', stg. l., sacrificing from
patera in r. hand over flaming tripod stg. l., holding branch in l. hand; star in l.
field.
RIC IV/2, 146; C.276; BMC 232
VF, toned

Wether it is a 'horn' on Elagabal's head on the rev. or only a long laurel leaf is discussed.
Jochen
elagabal_146var.jpg
Elagabal RIC IV, 146 var.Elagabal, AD 218-222
AR - denarius, 19mm, 2.84g
Rome, AD 222
obv. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG
Bust, draped and laureate, r., without horn!
rev. SVMMVS SACERDOS AVG
Emperor, wearing garment of a Syrian priest, stg. l., sacrificing from patera over burning tripod l., holding in lowered l. hand cypress twig(?)
in upper l. field star
RIC IV/2, 146 var.; C.276 var.; BMCR 230
Cohen and RIC have listed only the type with horn.

This is one of the last issues for Elagabal. The horn has been removed shortly after TRP V 10. Dec. 221. But even this could not avert his terrible fate.
1 commentsJochen
elagabal_188.jpg
Elagabal RIC IV, 188Elagabal AD 218-222
AR - Denarius, 3.26gm, 19mm
struck 218-219 AD at Antioch mint
obv. ANTONINVS PIVS FEL AVG
bust, draped and cuirassed, seen from behind, laureate, r.
rev. FELICIT - AS / TEMP (in ex.)
Galley, mast and sail in the midth, with eight oarsmen, going r.(!). Seven oars
to see, and rudder at stern; waves below. On stern boatswain beside the ship's
cabin. Stern decorated with standard and acrostolium. On prow oblique mast.
RIC IV/2, 188; C. 27; BMC 277 var.
Scarce, EF, well struck on an ample flan, attractive portrait for this type.

The reverse type portrays the galley bearing Elagabalus and the sacred Stone of Emesa on the emperor's slow journey from Elagabalus' home in Emesa to Rome, undertaken 218-219 AD after the Syrian legions and Macrinus' deserting forces won the military victory that assured Elagabalus' place as Augustus.
On the ship the Holy Stone is not to see !(Curtis Clay)
4 commentsJochen
elagabal_88.jpg
Elagabal RIC IV, 88Elagabal 218 - 228
AR - Denar, 3.51g, 18mm
Rome 220 - 222
obv. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG
draped bust, laureate head r., with 'horn' on forehead
rev. INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG
Elagabal in Syrian priestly robe standing l., holding with r. hand
patera over lightened altar and club in l. hand; behind altar
resting bull
star in l. field
RIC IV, 88; C.61
about EF

Syrian priestly robe with long sleeves and a big decorative buckle before his stomach (pointed out by Curtis Clay).
BTW The interpretation of the 'horn' as a bull-penis is very doubtful!
Jochen
Elagabalus_3.jpg
ElagabalusRIC 88, RSC 61.
Elagabalus, denarius.
19 mm 3,12 g.
Obv. IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, horned, draped and bearded bust right.
Rev. INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG, Elagabalus standing half left, branch in left, offering from patera in right over altar, recumbent bull behind altar, star left.

Elagabalus (c. 203 – March 11, 222), also known as Heliogabalus or Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, was a Roman Emperor of the Severan dynasty who reigned from 218 to 222. This reverse refers to Elagabalus' role as priest of the Syrian god from whom he took his nickname. His religious fanaticism was a primary cause of his downfall.

This coin immediately became one of my favourites, because of the detailed obverse and reverse (watch the bull!) and the history behind the coin. The coin also has a beautiful dark toning.
3 commentsMarsman
CollageMaker_20180531_123207829.jpg
ElagabalusAR Denarius, Rome Mint, Struck 220-222 AD
Obverse: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG (no break), Horned, laureate, draped and bearded bust right.
Reverse: INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG, Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing half left, sacrificing holding patera in right hand over lighted altar, a club or cypress in his left hand. A recumbent bull sits behind the altar, star in left field.
References: RIC IV 88b, RSC 61, BMCRE 212
Justin L
Elagabalus-removebg-preview.png
Elagabalus (Augustus) Coin: Bronze AsIMP CAES M AVR ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Bust of Elagabalus, horned, laureate, draped, cuirassed, right.
PM TR P IIII COS III PP S C - Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing right, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over lighted altar, holding club in left hand; behind altar, bull crouching; something in field, star
Exergue:


Mint: Rome (221 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 12.13g / 24mm / 12h
Rarity: Rare
References:
RIC IV 325
Sear 7611
Provenances:
London Ancient Coins (LAC)
Acquisition/Sale: London Ancient Coins (LAC) VCoins $0.00 12/19
Notes: Dec 9, 19 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection
GRWilson
imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-GOFq8naFsc8HyDoE-Elagabalus_denarius-removebg-preview.png
Elagabalus (Augustus) Coin: Silver DenariusIMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG - Laureate, horned, draped bust right.
INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG - Elagabalus, in Syrian priestly robes, standing left, sacrificing out of patera in right hand over tripod, holding club in left hand; behind tripod, bull lying down; in field, star
Exergue:



Mint: Rome (220-222 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 2.77g / 18.6mm / 12h
References:
RIC 88b
RSC 61
BMC 212
Provenances:
Ex. Richard Weigel
Acquisition/Sale: ancientgalleonllc eBay $0.00 01/19
Notes: Feb 20, 19 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection
GRWilson
Elagabalus_SC_in_Wreath.JPG
Elagabalus SC in WreathElagabalus AE20, Antioch Syria, 218 - 220 AD, Antioch BMC 430
OBV: radiate head of Elagabalus right
REV: S dot C, Delta Epsilon above, eagle below all within laurel wreath
McAlee 788
Elagabalus was a teenaged priest of the sun god Heliogabalus, and was
infamous for his debauchery. He was a member of the powerful Syrian
clan headed by his grandmother, Julia Maesa, who engineered his rise
to power. His followers overthrew and killed his predecessor,
Macrinus, in fighting which culminated in and around Antioch. The
early part of Elagabalus' reign was spent at Antioch, after which he
traveled to Rome and took up residence there
1 commentsSRukke
Elagabalus_Possibly_Unique.jpg
Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D. Silver denariusPossibly unique! The combination of this reverse legend with a recumbent bull behind the altar is apparently unpublished and this is the only example known to Forum. The bull is present on a similar type with the reverse legend INVICTVS SACERDOS AVG.


Silver denarius, RSC III 213c var. (no bull); BMCRE V 269 var. (same); Hunter III 68 var. (same); RIC IV 52 (S) var. (same, also no horn); SRCV II 7538 var. (same), NGC XF, strike 5/5, surface 3/5 (2412840-011), Rome mint, weight 3.07g, maximum diameter 18.4mm, die axis 0o, Jan 222 A.D.; obverse IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, horned, laureate, draped and bearded bust right, from the front; reverse P M TR P V COS IIII P P, Elagabalus standing slightly left, wearing Syrian priestly dress, sacrificing from patera in right hand over flaming altar at feet on left, club (or branch) cradled in left hand and arm, star in upper left field, recumbent bull behind altar; NGC certified (slabbed); extremely rare.

Coins with a horned portrait and the title TR P V were struck in January 222 A.D. After some days or weeks the horn was removed from Elagabalus' portrait. Elagabalus had shocked the public with bizarre behavior including cross dressing and marrying a vestal virgin. Removing the unusual horn from his portrait was probably part of a last ditch effort to show that he had changed, dropping his peculiar Syrian ways. The effort failed. On 11 March 222, Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome and dumped into the Tiber.

From The Sam Mansourati Collection.
Sam
elagabalus_cartofastarte.jpg
Elagabalus, Cart of Astarte, SidonObv: Elagabalus IMP C M AV AN-TONINVS AV, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right 
Rev: Cart of Astarte COL AVR PIA METRO, SID in exergue

Sidon 218-222 AD 31mm
Daniel J
JLSOSE01.jpg
Elagabalus, RIC 402, for Julia Soaemias, Sestertius of AD 220-221 Æ Sestertius (26.90g, Ø30mm, 12h), Rome mint, Struck AD 220-221
Obv.: IVLIA SOAEMIAS AVG, diademed and draped bust of Julia Soaemias facing right.
Rev.: VENVS CAELESTIS (around) S C (in field), Venus caelestis standing left, holding apple and long sceptre; star in field.
RIC 402 (R); Cohen 11
ex CNG 85 (2010) lot 964

Venus Caelestis is a Roman adaptation of a Syrian goddess brought by princesses from the east to Rome. The only coins with this reverse type are of the Severan empresses.
Charles S
elagabalus_stone_snake.jpg
Elagabalus, snake and sacred baetylObv: Elagabalus, Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Serpent-entwined ovoid baetyl; palm tree to left, murex shell to right.
As, Phoenicia, Tyre
218-222 AD
27mm, 10.39g
Rouvier 2390; AUB 248; BMC 413.
1 commentsDaniel J
Elagabulus9.jpg
Elagabulus AR Denarius RIC 131OBV: IMP ANTONINVS PIVS AVG, laureate, bearded and draped bust right
REV: SACERD DEI SOLIS ELAGAB, Elagabalus sacrificing right over lighted altar, star in right or left field
2.61g, 19mm

Struck at Rome, 221-2 AD

The reverse legend reads the priest of the sun god baal;
referring to Elagabulus' role as priest of the syrian cult of Baal.
Legatus
Philip_I_the_1000th_Anniversary_of_Rome.jpg
Emperor PHILIP I , Commemorating the 1000th Anniversary of Rome.PHILIP I , The Syrian (244–249). Silver Antoninianus. Rome.
Obverse : IMP PHILIPPVS AVG.
Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Reverse : SAECVLARES AVGG / I. Lion walking right.


Rome mint , year AD 248



4.28 g. Max Diameter 23 mm. ChVF . RIC 12.

EX Pecunem 33 Lot 566

Philip I was the first Roman emperor believed in Christianity.
While Roman emperor Constantine the Great or the first was the first Roman emperor
believed in Christianity and announced it as the religion of the Roman empire.

From The Sam Mansourati Collection.
5 commentsSam
Philip_I_,_The_Syrian_.jpg
Emperor Philip I the Syrian, February 244 - End of September 249 A.D.Silver antoninianus, RIC IV 75A (R); RSC IV 130, SRCV III 8945, Hunter III -, EF, superb strike with sharp dies, nice metal, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, weight 4.966g, maximum diameter 22.4mm, die axis 0o, 247 - 248 A.D.; obverse IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, from behind; reverse P M TR P IIII COS P P (high priest, holder of Tribunitian power for four years, consul, father of the country), Felicitas standing left, long caduceus in right hand, cornucopia in left hand; from the Jyrki Muona Collection, ex dear friend Barry Murphy.

FORVM Ancient Coins./ The Sam Mansourati Collection.
*Incredible art


Felicitas was the goddess or personification of happiness, good fortune, and success. She played an important role in Rome's state religion during the empire and was frequently portrayed on coins. She became a prominent symbol of the wealth and prosperity of the Roman Empire.
1 commentsSam
Ethiopian_Coptic_Bible-004.jpg
Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible (ca. 18th Century)Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature in composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.Quant.Geek
Ethiopian_Coptic_Bible-003.jpg
Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible (ca. 18th Century)Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature in composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.Quant.Geek
Ethiopian_Coptic_Bible-002.jpg
Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible (ca. 18th Century)Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature in composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.Quant.Geek
Ethiopian_Coptic_Bible-001.jpg
Ethiopian Coptic Ge’ez Bible (ca. 18th Century)Ethiopian Handwritten Coptic Ge’ez Bibles were produced as early as the fourteenth century until the late 19th century throughout Ethiopia, the first country to become an independent African nation. Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia in the 4th century when Syrian missionaries first translated the Bible into Ge’ez, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The surviving body of Ge’ez literature in composed almost entirely of Christian liturgy, as education was exclusively the responsibility of priests and monks. The bibles produced typically contain the gospels of the New Testament, recounting the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the foundation of the Christian faith with illuminated miniature paintings depicting the lives of the Saints.Quant.Geek
33166_Constantius_II_RIC_VIII_191,_VF,_officina_11,_Antioch.jpg
FEL TEMP REPARATIO, fallen horseman; RIC VIII 191 AntiochConstantius II, 22 May 337 - 3 November 361 A.D. Bronze AE 3, RIC VIII 191, VF, officina 11, Antioch mint, 2.977g, 15.7mm, 180o, 355 - 361 A.D.; obverse D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse FEL TEMP REPARATIO, soldier spearing horseman who has fallen on face down on the horses neck, M in upper left field, ANAI in ex; attractive Syrian patina. Ex FORVM, photo credit FORVMPodiceps
Pseudo-Byzantine_1.jpg
Follis (Fals)Pseudo-Byzantine Syrian Arabic, imitating the coinage of Constans II; weight 2.2g (lighter standard), diameter 21mm.

Obverse: Standing imperial figure type, with traces of an obverse legend, notably the prominent Є (or θ) in the upper right.

Reverse: Large cursive m, between [?] / X and Λ / Є / T; cross above; in exergue: O A retrograde-C

Abu Galyon
BCL0180.jpg
Follis (Fals)Pseudo-Byzantine Syrian Arabic, imitating the coinage of Constans II; weight 4.2g (heavier standard), diameter 25 x 17mm.

Obverse: Standing imperial figure type, with traces of an obverse legend.

Reverse: Large cursive m; cross above; θ / retrograde-N / [?] to left; also faint traces of letters in exergue

Abu Galyon
BCL0336.jpg
Follis (Fals)Pseudo-Byzantine Syrian Arabic, imitating the coinage of Constans II; weight 3.18g, diameter 25x20mm.

Obverse: Crowned imperial bust facing, holding globus cruciger, with traces of an obverse legend.

Reverse: Large M, between X / X and I [?] ; attempted cross (or monogram?) above; obscure symbol (perhaps blundered Γ) below.

This appears to be similar to Goodwin’s “Type G”, i.e. imitating the Constans II follis reference Sear 1004.
Abu Galyon
Arab-Byzantine_Cyprus_imitation.jpg
Follis (Fals)Pseudo-Byzantine Syrian Arabic, imitating the Cypriot folles of Heraclius (Sear 849); weight 3.99g, diameter 25x20mm.

Obverse: No legend. Three standing crowned imperial figures, each holding long cross in right hand.

Reverse: Large M, cross above, Γ below; to left, garbled, perhaps [?] | retrograde-N | I I I | A; to right, illegible symbols; in exergue, possibly C[ΠΡ].

Official folles from the Cyprus mint were struck during the years 626/9 (= regnal years 17 to 19) and were introduced into the Levant following the Byzantine reoccupation of Syria from the Persians in 629. These imitatives were among the first coins struck after the Arab conquest in 636, and production may have continued into the mid-640s. On this specimen it seems that the central imperial figure has the long beard and moustache portrait type, which was only introduced in Heraclius’ regnal year 20, cf. DOC II(1) Heraclius 184a.3

Reference: Foss pp. 22 – 24
Abu Galyon
Pseudo-Byzantine_2.jpg
Follis (Fals)Pseudo-Byzantine Syrian Arabic, imitating the coinage of Constans II; weight 5.01g (heavier standard), diameter 23mm.

Obverse: Standing imperial figure type, with blundered legend, perhaps N OU-ligate T O [?]Є A

Reverse: Large cursive m, between N / N / O and (ω?)/ Є / Λ / [?]; star above; in exergue: garbled symbols, perhaps retrograde-Є [?] T N
Abu Galyon
Pseudo-Byzantine_3.jpg
Follis (Fals)Pseudo-Byzantine Syrian Arabic, imitating the coinage of Constans II; weight 3.04g (heavier standard), diameter 24 x 17mm.

Obverse: Standing imperial figure type. Very faint traces of an obverse legend, e.g. immediately above the globus cruciger.

Reverse: Large cursive m; [?] / N / [?] to left; in exergue: ~ H ~
Abu Galyon
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