ARABIA, Eastern. Gulf Region. Circa 180-140 BCE. Tetradrachm (Silver, 27 mm, 11.01 g, 11 h), imitating Alexander 'the Great' (336-323 BCE). Head of Herakles to right, wearing lion skin headdress. Rev. ΛΛEΞNΛ[...] Zeus/Shams seated left on low throne, holding long scepter in his left hand and eagle standing right with closed wings in his right; to upper left, cone-shaped object set on base; to lower left, antelope or stag standing left above 𐪆 ('S²' in Ancient South (or North?) Arabian script). CCK 144 = Huth, Al Jawf Hoards, 227. Of the highest rarity, the second known example with the interesting cone-shaped object on the reverse. Darkly toned. Somewhat rough and with minor spots of corrosion, otherwise, good very fine.
This coin is only the second known example to feature a conical object between the eagle and the head of Zeus/Shams (the other piece, from the collection of Ambassador Martin Huth, was auctioned by us in Leu 10 (2021), 2261). On this specimen, it becomes clear that the object consists of two parts: a conical tip and a rectangular base. Later coins from Abi'el (van Alfen 175-180) also depict this object, albeit in a single-piece form, suggesting it was not merely an artistic whim of the die cutter. The exact nature of the object remains unclear. Its shape most closely resembles a baetylos, like those known from Kaunos, Paphos, or particularly Emesa, where the famous local sacred stone is sometimes also shown on an elevated platform. This coin could thus represent a very early example of Arabian veneration of a sacred stone, prefiguring the later worship of the Kaaba, the central sanctuary of Islam in Mecca, which continues to this day.