Catalog
1/4 Shekel Philistia
| Issuer | Uncertain Philistian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 539 BC - 332 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Facing janiform head occupying the entire field: on the left, a male head rendered in archaic Greek style with a laureate or wreathed coiffure, and on the right, a female head facing right, displaying carefully incised hair arranged in wavy locks. The two heads share a common neck and are depicted in close juxtaposition, a design motif derived from Athenian and Phoenician prototypes. The surfaces show the characteristic irregular flan and slightly ragged edges typical of hand-hammered Philistian coinage of the Persian period. No legend or inscription is present. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Philistian coinage emerged in the late sixth century BC almost certainly under Achaemenid Persian administrative pressure — the satraps needed a standardized medium for tax collection and troop payment across the Levantine coast. These small silver fractions circulated in a corridor of city-states, Gaza most prominently among them, that maintained remarkable commercial autonomy under Persian oversight. Attributing specific issues to individual cities remains contested; Hendin's framework offers the best available taxonomy, but the question of which mint struck which type is genuinely unresolved.
The fractional denominations dominate the surviving corpus, suggesting small-scale market use rather than state disbursement.