ARABIA, Eastern. Oman Peninsula. Mleiha or ad-Dur (?). Later coinage in the name of Abi'el, 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. Tetradrachm (Billon, 25 mm, 13.76 g, 4 h), imitating Alexander 'the Great' (336-323 BCE). Stylized head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress and with pellet on cheek.
Rev. 𐡀𐡁𐡀𐡋 ('b’l' in Aramaic) Male figure seated left on low throne, holding long scepter in his left hand and a horse on his right arm; to left, palm stem; to left, below right arm, Λ; behind figure, upward-pointing anchor-like symbol (of Mleiha?). Arnold-Biucchi 25. CCK 132 = Haerink, Abiel, 164 = van Alfen 138a (
this coin, O4/R11). Potts (Suppl.) 403 ff. Nicely toned and very well centered. Very fine.
From the collection of Ambassador Martin Huth.
Compared to the two previous coins, one can observe here a further degradation in both style and metal quality. This billon issue is the most common of the late Abi’el-style tetradrachms.
