Catalog
Tetradrachm - Anonymous Bronze, 1 Crescent
| Issuer | Lihyanite Kingdom (Northern Arabia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 200 BC - 24 BC |
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| Value | Tetradrachm (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | An owl stands to the right with head turned to face the viewer, rendered in a schematic imitative style derived from the classical Athenian tetradrachm reverse type. An olive sprig appears to the left of the owl, referencing the canonical Athenian composition. The Greek letters ΘΕ appear to the right of the owl in the field, serving as an ethnic abbreviation or control mark. The design reflects a local Lihyanite interpretation of the Athenian owl motif, with simplified relief and provincial die-cutting characteristic of Northern Arabian imitative coinage. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΘE |
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| Additional information |
The Lihyanite kingdom, centered at Dedan in the Hejaz, operated as a successor polity to the earlier Minaean trading presence in northwestern Arabia. Their coinage is poorly understood and rarely appears in Western collections — most examples surface through the Arabian Peninsula antiquities market with little provenance documentation. The anonymous attribution reflects genuine scholarly uncertainty: no ruler's name has been securely linked to this type, and the chronological spread of nearly two centuries in the assigned date range signals how much work remains.