Catalog
Drachm
| Issuer | Gaza |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 350 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Female head facing right within a shallow incuse circle, rendered in the archaic Greek style with naturalistic detail. The subject is adorned with a plain fillet binding the hair, which is gathered into a compact bun at the nape of the neck with loose curling locks visible behind the ear. The facial features are finely modelled, displaying a pronounced profile with a straight nose and full lips characteristic of late fifth- to early fourth-century Philistian civic coinage. The field is otherwise plain, with no legend or additional devices. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Gaza sat at the junction of the coastal trade route connecting Egypt to the Levant, and its fourth-century civic coinage was minted under Achaemenid oversight while the city functioned as a key Persian administrative and military base in the region. The local authorities issued silver fractions in weights conforming broadly to the Attic standard, reflecting Gaza's deep commercial ties with the Aegean world rather than Persian weight systems.
Gitler and Tal's classification of this type within their 2Db grouping places it among the earlier Gaza issues, before the series became more stylistically independent in the decades approaching Alexander's siege of the city in 332 BC.