Catalog
1⁄16 Shekel
| Issuer | Sidon |
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| Year | 450 BC - 435 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Phoenician war galley (bireme) depicted in left profile, showing the characteristic triangular sail rendered with incised diagonal striations and the oared hull below with a row of beads representing the oarsmen's shields along the wale. The vessel's ram projects forward at the waterline, and the overall composition conveys the maritime power and mercantile identity of Sidon. The style is typical of the archaic Sidonian coinage tradition, executed in relief against a plain, slightly irregular field. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Sidon was the dominant Phoenician city-state under Persian rule during the fifth century BC, and its fractional silver coinage served the fine commercial transactions of one of the ancient world's busiest ports. The 1/16 shekel denomination — among the smallest divisions struck — points to a monetized economy granular enough to require sub-obol precision in everyday exchange.
Betlyon's classification places this piece within the reign of the Persian-appointed Sidonian kings, before the catastrophic revolt of 351 BC that ended with the city's self-immolation rather than surrender to Artaxerxes III.