Catalog
Drachm
| Issuer | Uncertain Philistian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 450 BC - 400 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Drachm |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Female head facing right, hair rendered in finely detailed rows of beaded tresses bound by a diadem or stephane, set within a plain incuse circle. The facial features are executed in the Athenian style, reflecting strong Attic influence characteristic of fifth-century Philistian coinage. The field is unadorned and without legend. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Two juxtaposed male heads facing in opposite directions — one bearded and facing left, wearing a crested helmet with a prominent ridge, the other facing right and apparently unbearded. The composition is divided by the helmet crest, creating a bifacial design common to certain Philisto-Arabian issues. The style blends Achaemenid and Greek artistic influences, with no surrounding legend. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Philistian coinage of the fifth century BC occupies one of the more contested corners of ancient numismatics. These small silver pieces were struck by coastal cities — most likely Gaza or Ashkelon — operating under Achaemenid Persian administrative authority, yet producing coins that borrowed promiscuously from Athenian, Egyptian, and Levantine visual traditions simultaneously. The issuing city for this specific type remains unresolved despite decades of scholarship, with Gitler and Tal's 2006 corpus still the definitive attempt to impose order on an extraordinarily heterogeneous series.
XIV.36D is among the rarer die pairings in that classification.