Æ14 - Aretas IV

Aretas IV ruled the Nabataean Kingdom for nearly half a century — the longest reign of any Nabataean king — and his prolific bronze coinage reflects an administration comfortable enough in its power to mint in volume. He is likely the "Aretas the ethnarch" mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:32, whose governor in Damascus sought to arrest Paul, placing this coinage in direct proximity to the formative years of early Christianity. The Nabataean bronze series under Aretas IV is notoriously difficult to sequence chronologically, with Meshorer's numbering across the 68 and 96–100 references reflecting distinct emission groups tied to co-regency periods with his queen Shaqilath.