Æ17 - Aphilas

Aphilas ruled Aksum in the early fourth century and is known almost exclusively through his coinage — no contemporary written sources document his reign. His issues are among the earliest sub-Saharan African coins to carry a royal portrait with gilded inlay, a technique that distinguishes Aksumite production from virtually all other ancient minting traditions. This particular type, catalogued under MHAC#13, falls within the smaller bronze denominations that circulated alongside silver and gold issues in a remarkably sophisticated trimetallic system for the period.