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Double Shekel - Ba'alshallim II Sidon
| Issuer | Sidon |
|---|---|
| Year | 384 BC - 370 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | GCV#5934, BMC Greek#17-25, SNG Copenhagen#194, HGC 10#236 |
| Obverse description | Phoenician war galley advancing left, with a row of shields displayed along the bulwark and oars visible below the hull. Two zigzag lines in the lower field represent the sea beneath the vessel. A Phoenician letter beth (𐤁) appears in the upper field, serving as the royal initial of the issuing king Ba'alshallim II. The composition is rendered in the distinctive flat, linear style characteristic of Sidonian silver coinage of the early fourth century BC. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (384 BC - 370 BC) - No regnal year (BMC 17-24) - ND (384 BC - 370 BC) - Regnal year 14 (IIII – ; BMC 25) - ND (384 BC - 370 BC) - Regnal year 15 (II III – ; Triton II 498) - |
| Additional information |
Ba'alshallim II ruled Sidon as a vassal king under Achaemenid Persian authority, and his coinage reflects that arrangement directly — the double shekel series was struck to pay tribute obligations and finance the city's naval contributions to the Persian fleet. Sidon maintained the largest and most capable Phoenician navy of the period, and large-denomination silver issues like this one circulated primarily at the administrative and military level rather than in everyday commerce.
The .980 fine silver is notably pure for Phoenician civic coinage of the era, consistent with Sidonian access to refined bullion through Levantine trade networks.