Catalog
Drachm - Anonymous Owl
| Issuer | Lihyanite Kingdom (Northern Arabia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 24 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.3 g |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena facing right, rendered in a schematic, locally interpreted style derived from Athenian prototype coinage. The Corinthian helmet is depicted with a prominent crest and engraved decorative details, while the facial features — almond-shaped eye, defined nose, and lips — are stylized yet recognizable. The neck and cheek-guards of the helmet are rendered with parallel incised lines. The overall die-work reflects a provincial imitation of the classical Athenian tetradrachm type, adapted by local Lihyanite engravers. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Lihyanite Kingdom, centered at Dedan in the Hejaz, produced these small billon owl imitations during a period when Athenian "owls" still carried enough prestige across the Near East to inspire copying centuries after Athens had ceased striking them. The prototypes date to the fifth and fourth centuries BC; that Arabian minters were still reproducing them well into the first century BC speaks to how thoroughly the Athenian type had become a trade currency abstraction rather than a civic coin.
No mint attribution within Lihyan has been confirmed, and the absence of a Huth reference number reflects how poorly documented this series remains in the major catalogs.