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Tetradrachm
| Issuer | Uncertain Arabian state |
|---|---|
| Year | 300 BC - 101 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 26 mm |
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| Obverse description | Stylized head of Herakles facing right, wearing the Nemean lion's skin headdress rendered in a schematic, somewhat barbarized manner derived from Macedonian prototype coinage. The facial features are boldly if crudely modeled, with the lion's scalp and forepaws visible framing the hero's visage. The surrounding field is plain, and the coin's irregular flan exhibits the characteristic fabric of locally produced Arabian imitative issues. The overall style reflects a provincial interpretation of the Alexandrine type, with simplified but recognizable iconographic elements. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | ND (300 BC - 101 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Arabian imitative tetradrachm tradition emerged largely from the need to facilitate trade along incense routes connecting southern Arabia to Mediterranean markets — Ptolemaic and Athenian types were copied not out of political allegiance but because merchants on both ends of those routes recognized and trusted them. Distinguishing the issuing authority is often impossible; several south Arabian polities struck near-identical types simultaneously, and even specialist die studies have not resolved attribution for many specimens.
Weight standards drifted noticeably across the production window, a detail worth noting when comparing individual pieces.