PHOENICIA. Ace-Ptolemais. Valerian I, 253-260. AE (Bronze, 27 mm, 14.82 g, 1 h). IMP CAE LIC VA[LERIANVS AVG] Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Valerian I to right, seen from behind. Rev. COL P-TOL Zeus Heliopolites standing facing within distyle shrine, holding torch over his right shoulder and scepter in his left hand; around, zodiac wheel. Kadman -. RPC X online ID 62883. Sofaer 289. Very rare. Somewhat rough and with traces of corrosion, otherwise, about very fine.


The reverse of this fascinating coin of Valerian I from Ake-Ptolemais depicts Zeus Heliopolites, the city’s patron deity, standing within a small shrine framed by two columns and topped with a flat roof. The city’s ethnic appears on either side of the shrine. This entire scene is enclosed within a linear circle, which forms the inner boundary of an outer ring divided into twelve compartments - each containing a symbol of the Zodiac. These zodiacal symbols ultimately derive from Babylonian astronomy of the Chaldean period (1st millennium BC), and because of this arrangement, the design is commonly known as a Zodiac Wheel.

The precise significance of this motif on the coin remains uncertain, though it may be connected to Zeus Heliopolites himself. While the exact purpose is unclear, it is known that horoscopic astrology, despite occasional prohibition by imperial authorities, held considerable influence in Roman society.