PHILISTIA. Central Mint. Philistian-styled, circa 420-350 BCE. Rbʾ Šql = Drachm (Silver, 14 mm, 3.75 g, 11 h). Bearded male head to right, facing female head to left; both wearing beaded necklaces and with their hair gathered high on the head and secured by lion-headed, rhyton-shaped ornaments; all within circular guilloche-pattern border. Rev. Bearded male head to right, wearing beaded necklace and with his hair gathered high on the head and secured by a lion-headed, rhyton-shaped ornament; behind, 𐡔 (Š in Aramaic); all within square guilloche-pattern border within incuse square. CSC p. 306, Philistia 4 (same dies as illustration). Gitler & Tal, Reclassifying, p. 13, Fig. 3b (this coin). Hendin -. Jeselsohn 283-283a (same dies). Meshorer & Qedar corr. 34 (obverse headdresses not noted and as 'Samaria') = Sofaer 258 (same dies). Shoshana -. Very rare. Beautifully toned and of powerful style, with a wonderful reverse. The obverse struck somewhat off center and with a test cut, otherwise, extremely fine.



This magnificent and undoubtedly early issue was originally attributed to Samaria by Meshorer and Qedar, but was later reassigned to Philistia by Gitler and Tal. It heads, rendered in a local eastern style, rank among the finest works produced by die engravers in Philistia. This type of hair ornament accords well with the broader iconographic repertoire of Philistian coins featuring animal-form headdresses (cf. lots 67-70 above and lots 102-103 below). In the present case, however, the figures do not wear conventional headgear; rather, each figure’s hair is bound up high on the head and terminates in a lion-headed ornament, as though a rhyton had been artfully worked into the coiffure.