EGYPT. Alexandria. Hadrian, 117-138. Dichalkon (Bronze, 14 mm, 2.00 g, 11 h), for the city of Pelousion, RY 11 = 126/7. Laureate head of Hadrian to right, with slight drapery on his left shoulder. Rev. ΠΗΛΟΥ L IA Pomegranate. Dattari (Savio) 6348. Emmett 1321.11. K&G N40.3. RPC III 6533. An unusually complete example with a beautiful brown patina. Light roughness on the reverse, otherwise, very fine.


This coin forms part of the 'nome coinage', struck under several emperors starting from Domitian and ending with Antoninus Pius. The division of Egypt into nomes (smaller districts) had its roots in the pharaonic administration but continued to be used in the Graeco-Roman period. The reverse of Hadrian’s dichalka identifies each respective nome through the legend and shows a symbol connected with the local cult. This coin was not struck for an entire nome, however, but to celebrate the harbor city of Pelousion, a key node in the trade between Egypt, Syria and the Red Sea. The pomegranate refers to the cult of Zeus Kasios, the Greek counterpart of the Semitic Baal Saphon, whose sacred mountain stood near the city. The Egyptians venerated Baal Saphon under the guise of Ammon, but the pomegranate, foreign to Egypt, reflects the deity’s Near Eastern origins. Befitting the location of his cult, Zeus Kasios was particularly known as the protector of sailors and ships at sea.