PHILISTIA. Askalon (Ashkelon). Circa 420-350 BCE. Rbʾ Šql = Drachm (Silver, 16 mm, 3.76 g, 12 h). Bearded male head to right, the hair gathered up and bound with a ribbon, within circular guilloche-pattern border. Rev. Owl standing right, head facing; in field to right, miniature male (?) head to right, with a long, straight palm (?) branch stemming from its top; to left, 𐤀 (ʾ in retrograde Phoenician); to right, 𐤍 (N in retrograde Phoenician); all within incuse square. Fischer-Bossert, Philistian, 8a = Gitler & Tal III.6Da = Mildenberg, Palästina, pl. XX, 17 (this coin). Hendin -. Jeselsohn -, cf. 37-38 (both without the miniature head on the reverse). Shoshana -. Sofaer -. Unique and of great importance, a wonderful coin. Light scratches and porosity, and with a few minor deposits, otherwise, good very fine.



On this wonderful and unique piece, the miniature head on the reverse immediately catches the eye, with a long palm (?) branch rising from the top of its head. Owing to its tiny size – the head measures only 3 mm in diameter – it is difficult to determine whether it represents a male or a female head, a distinction that is sometimes problematic in Philistine coinage more generally. It is striking, however, that the hair of the reverse head is tied up at the back, just as it is on the obverse. This suggests that it may represent a miniature version of the obverse head (but see also 8 above).

The example described as of the same type in Classical Numismatic Group E-Auction 512 (2022), 242, in fact represents the variety without the head; this error was corrected when the piece was published as part of the Jeselsohn Collection (no. 38).