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Æ13 - Aretas IV and Phasaelis
| Issuer | Nabataean Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 6 BC - 18 AD |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 13 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Two cornucopiae crossed at their bases and filled with fruit and foliage, a classic Hellenistic symbol of royal abundance adopted by the Nabataean court. The horns of plenty are depicted symmetrically, their mouths flaring upward and outward. Two Nabataean letters, Fa (פ) and Sad (צ), appear centrally between the cornucopiae, likely constituting an abbreviated royal or mint inscription referencing Queen Phasaelis. The design is executed in low relief with a worn but legible strike. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Aretas IV ruled the Nabataean Kingdom for over five decades — one of the longest reigns in the dynasty's history — and his coinage with Phasaelis, his first wife, dates to the earlier portion of that reign before she was famously divorced in favor of Herodias. That repudiation directly provoked a war with Herod Antipas, an episode recorded by Josephus and obliquely referenced in the New Testament. Coins naming both rulers together therefore belong to a specific political moment before that rupture.