Israel, second half of the 570s. Argyros (Gilt Billon, 18 mm, 1.14 g, 12 h), anonymous type. ነገሠአ✠ከሰመ ('ngs 'aksm = 'King of Axum' in Ge'ez) Draped bust of Israel facing, wearing tiara inlaid in gold, circular earrings and pearl necklace. Rev. ✠ነገሠዘየዐበየለመደኀነ ('ngszyʽbylmdhn' = 'The king who exalts the Savior' in Ge'ez) Cross in outline with central square inlaid in gold within distyle arch. Hahn, Aksumite, 68. Hahn & Keck , MAKS, 78. Munro-Hay, AC, type 125. Very rare and with an unusually sharp obverse, a beautiful coin. Two flan cracks and with some flan faults, otherwise, good very fine.


After the reign of Ella Gabaz/Wazen Agad, the exact succession of the Axumite kings becomes increasingly uncertain, though Hahn & Keck in MAKS prefer the order Israel-Gersem-Joel-Hethasas/Hataza, based on a series of anonymous argyroi such as this one closely copying those of Ella Gabaz/Wazen Agad, which carry the legend 'ngs ʼksm', or 'King of Axum', a title also used on the chrysoi of Israel (and which had fallen into disuse on the coinage for a while after the reign of Mhdys in the middle of the 5th century). The 'King of Axum' title was likewise employed on the gold coinage of Joel, but this king struck argyroi under his own name and of a different type, implying Israel was closer to Ella Gabaz/Wazeb Agad than Joel was. While we follow Hahn & Keck's order here, it is not unlikely that future evidence will further refine the chronology of the later coin-producing kings.

It is worth noting that the king's name, Israel, was the name given to the patriarch Jacob after wrestling with an angel (Genesis 32:24-32), from which the Israelites derived their name.The reverse scene may, together with the legend, refer to the gift of a piece of the True Cross by the Byzantines (otherwise also attested as a diplomatic gift), which would certainly have received a fitting shrine in Axum.