PHILISTIA. Azotos (Ashdod). Circa 420-350 BCE. Rbʾ Šql = Drachm (Silver, 16 mm, 3.91 g, 2 h). Bearded male head to right, with eastern-style coiffure, hair gathered at the back, and wearing a serrated crown or headdress. Rev. Facing head of Bes, with long beard and plumed headdress capped by a thick horizontal band; in upper fields, 𐡀-𐡁 (ʾB in Aramaic); all within dotted square border within incuse square. Gitler & Tal II.11Dc (this coin). Hendin -. Jeselsohn 23 (same dies). Mildenberg, Palästina, pl. LVIII, 71 (same dies). Shoshana -. Sofaer -. Extremely rare. Beautifully toned and among the finest of a very few known examples. The obverse struck somewhat off center and with two small test cuts on the reverse, otherwise, very fine.



Mildenberg interpreted the male head on the obverse as a representation of the Achaemenid Great King. While this specific identification should be treated with caution, as it may risk political or historical overinterpretation, the influence of Achaemenid art is unmistakable.