Catalog
Shekel
| Issuer | Tyre |
|---|---|
| Year | 425 BC - 394 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | An owl is depicted standing to the right with head turned to face the viewer, rendered in confident, detailed relief with feathering clearly articulated across the body and wings. To the upper left of the field, an Egyptian crook and flail are placed diagonally, crossed in the background — symbols of divine authority and sovereignty with strong Egyptian cultural influence on Phoenician iconography. The design is contained within a beaded border, and the flat, uncluttered field emphasizes the bold, naturalistic presence of the owl. The composition closely mirrors Athenian artistic conventions while retaining distinctly Phoenician stylistic character. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Tyre |
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| Additional information |
Tyre's shekels of this period functioned as the dominant commercial currency across the Levantine coast and into the Persian-controlled interior, their silver purity trusted by merchants from Egypt to Mesopotamia. The Phoenician cities operated under Achaemenid suzerainty but retained the right to strike their own coinage — a practical concession by Persia, which needed reliable hard currency to pay tribute and finance regional administration.
Betlyon's cataloguing of this type identified distinct magistrate sequences that allow closer dating within the roughly thirty-year span of production.