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Æ17 - Aretas IV and Shaqilath
| Issuer | Nabataean Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 9 BC - 40 AD |
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| Currency | Shekel |
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| Obverse description | Jugate busts of Aretas IV and his queen Shaqilath facing right, both draped; the king depicted to the left with flowing hair and a simple diadem, the queen to the right slightly smaller in scale, rendered in the schematic Nabataean artistic style characteristic of the period. No legend appears in the field. The portraits are bold in relief despite the irregular flan, with surface patination revealing the greenish-brown bronze beneath. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Aramaic |
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| Additional information |
Aretas IV ruled the Nabataean Kingdom for nearly five decades — one of the longest reigns in the dynasty's history — and his coinage is notable for the consistent inclusion of Shaqilath, his queen, making these among the earliest issues anywhere to feature a royal couple in a co-regnal capacity rather than as a purely honorific arrangement. The Nabataeans were a literate, commercially sophisticated people whose caravan networks stretched from the Hejaz to the Mediterranean, and their bronze civic coinage reflects a monetized economy rather than mere ceremonial production.
Aretas IV was the king whom the Apostle Paul narrowly escaped in Damascus, according to 2 Corinthians 11:32 — a detail that places this very coin type in active circulation during a documented biblical episode.