Catalog
Drachm - Malichus I
| Issuer | Nabataean Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 35 BC - 34 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Drachm (1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Eagle standing left with wings closed, rendered in high relief with detailed feathering on the breast and body. A palm branch is depicted to the left of the eagle. Nabataean legends appear in the left field and to the right of the eagle, identifying the king and regnal year. The reverse is bordered by a beaded circle, and the overall composition follows the standard Nabataean drachm reverse type derived from Ptolemaic prototypes. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Malichus I ruled the Nabataean Kingdom from around 60 to 30 BC, and his coinage was struck during a period of uncomfortable dependence on Roman patronage — he was compelled by Mark Antony to provide cavalry support during the Parthian campaigns of the late 30s BC. Meshorer 59 places this emission squarely within that fraught moment, when Nabataean political autonomy was functionally subordinate to whatever Roman faction held the eastern Mediterranean.
Nabataean silver of this period was struck on a reduced Attic standard, a deliberate departure from earlier issues.