“The ‘owls’ from the 1989 Syria hoard with a review of pre-Macedonian coinage in Egypt,” American Journal of Numismatics 14 (2002), pp. 1-57.

A JN Second Series 14 (2002) pp. 1-57 © 2003 The American Numismatic Society THE "OWLS" FROM THE 1989 SYRIA HOARD, WITH A REVIEW OF PRE-MACEDONIAN COINAGE IN EGYPT Plates 1-12 Peter G. van Alfen* Martin Price, the first to study and publish portions of the 1989 Syria hoard (= CH VIII.158; Elayi and Elayi 1993: no. 56), wisely considered that commentary on the owls should await a full study of Athens' later fourth-century pi-style coinage (Price 1993: 33). But the unlikelihood that that (monstrous) task will be completed anytime soon and the desire to make the unpublished material accessible have prompted this study, even if it is premature. Said to have been found a hundred kilometers or so east of Aleppo, 164 coins of the hoard passed through London in 1990 where Price had the opportunity to take notes, photograph and make casts of some of the coins before they were dispersed on the market. Unfortunately, however, Price did not record all of the weights, measurements, and die axes, so for many of the coins a photograph is the sole record that remains. Also, it is quite unclear what percentage of the original hoard Price examined; Nicolet-Pierre (2000: 115 n.17) has suggested that CH VIII.126 ("Near East 1988/89"), consisting of 16 Athenian-type coins, at least four of which are imitative, as well as a small number of Persian sigloi and * The American Numismatic Society, 96 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10038, USA (vanalfen@amnumsoc.org). 1 2 Peter G. van Alfen two silver ingots, is likely a component of the 1989 Syria hoard. Her observation is perhaps correct since the find date, hoard composition, and preservation of the coins are consistent with this hoard; neverthe- less, I have not included the owls from CH VIII. 126 in this study because the connection cannot be validated. Of the 164 coins that Price recorded, 142 were of the Athenian owl type; the remaining 22 coins (Price 1993: 33-34) were from Sinope (4), Cyzicus (1), Ephesus (1), Tarsus (7), Hierapolis-Bambyce (5), and Tyre (4). Based mostly on these non-Athenian coins, a closing date for the hoard of c. 330 BC appears most likely, but whether this was (immedi- ately) pre-Alexandrian is a question best left open (see Discussion below). Since the owls form the largest and most important component of the hoard, and since they offer unparalleled evidence for the Artax- erxes and Sabakes series of Athenian imitations from Egypt, the owls are presented here as a separate study. Furthermore, because a number of questions remain concerning the manufacture of Athenian owl imita- tions in Egypt (virtually the only type of coin produced there before the arrival of the Macedonians), I review the evidence for the produc- tion of coins in Egypt during the Persian period (sixth to fourth centu- ries BC) in an extended digression. Following this review, which includes hitherto unpublished examples of Egyptian-made Athenian imitations from the American Numismatic Society's collection, I return to the 1989 Syria hoard material and provide a concluding summary in the Discussion. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS Like a number of other Near Eastern owl hoards of the fourth century, the 1989 hoard contained both non-Athenian imitations and what can only be called probable Attic issues.1 While the probable 1 While many of the pi-style coins found with this hoard were likely minted in Athens, there still is the real possibility, especially since the hoard comes from a region known to produce imitations, that some of the coins are in fact well-made imitations. As a case in point, Le Rider (1961: 13, pi. 1, no. 7) presents a pi-style owl that, were it not for the small Phoenician inscription (ayin samek) on the reverse, would easily be mistaken for an Athenian product. Thus "probable Attic issue" seems, for now, the best title for this group. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 3 Attic issues are of only one well-known late fourth-century style (the pi style), the imitative owls can be divided into five different stylistic groups: pi-style, quasi pi-style, frontal eye, and the Artaxerxes and Sabakes types. As the categorization of eastern owl hoards and their types is still in its infancy, it is difficult to say if this number of types within one hoard is unusual for the period.2 As mentioned, Price recorded the weights for only a fraction of the owls: all of the Artaxerxes and Sabakes issues (18 coins), plus ten other miscellaneous coins (nos. 44-49; 102-105). A study of the Artaxerxes- and Sabakes-series weight standard is presented below in the Discus- sion. Of the remaining weighed coins, only one (no. 48), a probable Attic issue at 15.85 g, is considerably below par, but the coin may have been clipped. There is nothing outstanding about the weights of the other nine owls. A fair proportion, about 14%, of the owls in the hoard bear counter- marks;3 a significantly larger proportion of them were marked with single or multiple cuts (see Table 1). Of those countermarks that are visible in the photographs or clear from Price's description of them, several are known from examples outside of the hoard (see Figure 1). In fact, a number of these countermarks, such as nos. 1 and 4, appear quite frequently on owls, both authentic and imitations, which have come out of Egypt and the Levant.4 As Table 1 demonstrates, a greater proportion of the countermarks appear on the reverse of the coin. This favoritism also appears, and far more dramatically, in the number of cuts that appear on the reverse of the coins versus the 1 See van Alfen (2000: 10-11 and n. 3) for fuller discussion. There I suggested that most Levantine and Egyptian hoards with owls generally do not contain more than three stylistic groups. 'J While not generally considered to be countermarks, since they lack an engraved design, I have also included marks made with a round or square punch (e.g., Figure 1 nos. 4 and 15) under the heading of countermark. The shape of the mark left by the punch is more by design than accident, like that of a countermark. For this reason, despite Price's (1991: 67) suggestion that such punches were meant to check for subaerate cores, all the marks on the coins—countermarks, punches, and cuts— likely served the same purpose (see below). ' For further comments on countermarking practices in ancient Egypt and the Near East see van Alfen (2002). 4 Peter G. van Alfen Table 1. Chisel Cuts and Countermarks Probable Attic Issues (91 coins) Proportion of total with cuts and/or countermarks: 68% Proportion of total with countermark(s) only: 13% On obverse only: 5% On reverse only: 8% Proportion of total with countermark on obv. and cut on rev.: 9% Proportion of total with single cut only: 38% On obverse only: 1% On reverse only: 37% Proportion of total with multiple cuts only: 4% On obverse only: 0% On reverse only: 4% Proportion of total with single cut on obv. and rev.: 5% Proportion of total with multiple cuts on obv. and rev.: 0% Imitations (41 coins) Proportion of total with cuts and/or countermarks: 66% Proportion of total with countermark(s) only: 14% On obverse only: 4% On reverse only: 10% Proportion of total with countermark on obv. and cut on rev.: 0% Proportion of total with single cut only: 20% On obverse only: 2% On reverse only: 18% Proportion of total with multiple cuts only: 14% On obverse only: 0% On reverse only: 14% Proportion of total with single cut on obv. and rev.: 7% Proportion of total with multiple cuts on obv. and rev.: 10% Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard X w $ ®<8>"@ 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 <3 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 □I 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 Figure 1. Countermarks. 6 Peter G. van Alfen obverse.3 When one looks closely at Table 1, the emerging pattern suggests that cutting coins was not necessarily for the sake of testing for subaerate cores, as has long been thought, but rather served as a (crude) marking system itself.6 The fact that patterning is also discern- able in the placement of the cuts on the reverse is further indicative of marking rather than random testing. For example, 38 of the coins have a single cut splitting the owl's head between the eyes;' another 12 have a single cut across the owl's throat.8 On those coins with multiple cuts on the reverse, many share multiple-cut patterns as well.9 If the cuts were meant simply to test, then there would be no reason to favor one side or the other of the coin, or to subject the coin to more than one cut, or really to be so careful about placement of the cut vis-a-vis the owl. Not to be overlooked as well is the preference in antiquity for fresh coins, which presumably included coins that had not been defaced; testing a coin by cutting into it might have seriously affected its acceptance by other users.10 Plated coins were likely no bigger a 0 A similar pattern was observed in the marking of the owls from the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000: Table 2). Also see Naster (1948: 9) for similar tabulated results of the owls from the Tell el-Maskhouta hoard (IGCH 1649). 6 Wartenberg and Kagan (1999: 406-407) have argued for a similar use of cuts as a marking system rather than a test for metal purity. 7 These are nos. 3, 7, 10, 14, 23, 25, 28, 30, 35, 38-40, 43-47, 49, 52, 56, 58-59, 61, 64, 70, 72, 78, 82, 84-85, 89, 92, 95, 96, 102, 104, 11, 126. No. 102 is particularly illustrative of this mark's deliberative placement: despite the reversal of the owl, the mark still runs between the owl's eyes. 8 These are nos. 1, 8, 19-20, 27, 29, 68, 74-75, 79, 108, 110. 0 Compare, for example, nos. 80, 116, 128; and nos. 97 and 106. Similar patterns for these cuts as well as the single-cut examples in notes 7 and 8 are readily found on coins from other hoards. See, for example, similar cuts on the owls from the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000) and from IGCH 1259 (Newell 1914). 10 Much like today, when it is often difficult to pass an overly worn bill or coin on to others, coin-users in antiquity seem to have had a general preference for fresh coins. In most cases, this preference was likely directly related to the concept that fresh (precious metal) coins were of higher weight and therefore of greater intrinsic value. This notion of freshness, whatever its psychological or economic basis might have been, seems to have pertained to marks on coins as well. In a late fourth or early third century BC inscription from Arcesine on Amorgos (IG XII (7) 69, 21-23), among the other specifications listed, the coins used in the repayment of loans are to be anepaphon ("untouched, unharmed"), conceivably without any marks or counter- owls from the 1989 syria hoard 7 problem in the Near East and Egypt than they were in the Aegean; yet virtually no coins from Aegean hoards are cut like those from the East. Obviously, methods for testing for subaerate cores were known which did not involve the destruction or defacing of the coin.11 Again, the preponderance not only of cuts, but also of countermarks, on coins from Near Eastern hoards indicates a context in which an amount of direct control was exercised over the circulation of coinage. Within this limited context we should expect the cuts to serve a function similar to that of the countermarks, and not as a test of metal content.12 THE CATALOGUE Because a great deal of information concerning the individual coins is missing, such as weights, die axes, and disposition, the catalogue is not as complete as one might wish. Where I have been able to glean information from Price's publications or notes I have included it; all other information (e.g., notes on countermarks and cuts) is derived from study of the photographs. In order to illustrate as many of the coins as possible, I have culled the illustrations from three different sources—Price's 1993 publication, his Polaroid photographs and casts, and British Museum prints—thus, photo quality varies and some illus- trations are lacking (e.g., the reverse of no. 48). Because of their excep- tionally worn state, no illustrations for nos. 134-142 are provided. Also, where it has been possible to do so, I provide a concordance with Price marks (cf. Picard 1996: 248). Worn and marked coins certainly did circulate, but not always with ease: a second-century AD Roman law attempted to limit the practice of aspraloura, the acceptance by bankers and merchants of only fresh/unworn coin (Metcalf 1980: 119; Howgego 1990: 17). Furthermore, it is clear from Nikophon's law of 375/74 that in Athens at least, the dokimasles, a public official who checked coins for imitations and counterfeits in the marketplace, did not cut a coin unless he was condemning it as counterfeit and taking it out of circulation (Stroud 1974: 1. 10). 11 (Arrian) Discourses of Epicietus 1.20.7-9, for example, mentions that a silver- tester (argyrogno'mo'n) used sight, touch, smell, and hearing to test coins, but makes no mention of slicing into them. For additional citations and commentary see Bogaert (1976: 14-18). For additional comments on the phenomenon of countermarks in the Near East, see Elayi and Elayi (1993) and van Alfen (2000: 11). 8 Peter G. van Alfen (1993) within the catalogue, e.g., "(= Price 42)". The owls are not listed in chronological order since the dates for all but the signed Artaxerxes and Sabakes coins are unknown. The general rule that owls with Athena displaying a frontal-type eye precede those with a profile eye might not be valid regarding imitations; it is entirely possible that for a decade,, maybe two, imitations with both frontal and profile ej'es were produced contemporaneously. Rather than a chronological listing, the catalogue follows the basic division of Probable Attic Issues and Imitations; under the heading of Imitations, the coins are grouped by stylistic similarities. Illustrations of the countermarks (e.g., "ctmk no. 3") can be found in Figure l.13 PROBABLE ATTIC ISSUES (NOS. 1-91) All of the Probable Attic Issues are fourth-century pi-style coins, a series that began c. 350 BC (Kroll 1993: 8), and is so called because of the newly introduced it-shape of the helmet ornament on the obverse of the coins. J. Bingen's study (1973) of the pi-style owls from the 1969 Thorikos hoard (IGCH 134) remains the definitive study of the series but is far from problematic. Basing his system primarily on subtle differences in the presentation of the helmet ornament, Bingen divided the series into five sequential issues, pi-types I to V. But the differ- ences in the ornaments are not always clear, especially between Bingen's types II and III, and nothing proves one type followed another. Different engravers working simultaneously in the mint might have been responsible for the subtleties in detail and discrete types. Despite the problems with Bingen's classification, it is neverthe- less acceptable as a descriptive tool and so is used as such here, but without strict application. Where there has been hesitation about assigning coins to one Bingen type or another, I have formed combined headings, e.g., pi-type I/II, to accommodate uncertainties. Those coins ' Figure 1 does not include illustrations for countermarks nos. 6 and 7. While it is certain that countermarks are present on the coins in question (Probable Attic Issues, nos. 44-45 below), it is impossible from the photographs to make out the nature of the countermarks. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 9 that have the crucial elements off-flan or are excessively worn are listed under Uncertain Pi-types. Under all these headings, I have placed together coins that share similar characteristics of eye detail (e.g., the shape of the eyelids and brows), facial expressions, and the like. Quite frequently one is able to discern among various collections of pi-style coins faces of, Athena that appear familiar. Compare, for example, no. 3 and Svoronos (1975: pi. 19 no. 14); no. 4 and Svoronos (1975: pi. 20 no. 22); no. 5 and no. 4 from the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000: no. 4). While at first and even second glance these coins appear to be die-linked, closer examination reveals that they are not. There is little doubt, however, that many of these similar dies were engraved by the same hand, and the frequency with which one finds these familiar faces could indicate that the pi-style series was produced within a short period of time. One further trait peculiar to the pi-style owls is the oddly shaped oval flan on which a number of examples were struck (e.g., nos. 50-57, 72).14 The trait is little discussed. However, the possibility that many, if not all, of these flans were formed by folding over other coins is confirmed by a pi-style owl in the collection of Robert W. Hoge (see Plate 10 no. 3) that clearly shows how two ends had been folded over one another;10 unfortunately no undertype is visible. The reuse of coins in this manner certainly has implications concerning the Athenian mint's silver procurement in the fourth century, as well as the mint's methods of manufacturing coins.16 11 Four examples are known from the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000: nos. 10, 17, 31, 35); seven are illustrated in Svoronos (1975: pis. 20.19, 26.24, 27.16-17, 28.3-4, 28.12). la I thank Hoge for pointing out this feature to me. A similar manufacturing tech- nique was used for some Athenian imitations from Arabia (Huth 1998). 10 A comparison between the Athenian mint's fifth- and fourth-century products readily reveals that production techniques changed. The fourth-century flans are generally dumpier, rougher on the edge, and of smaller diameter than those of the fifth. As for the mint's silver procurement, the reuse of coins, if they were not in fact old Athenian issues, could have implications concerning the use (or non-use) of the Laurion mines in the fourth century. Xenophon (Poroi 4.28), for example, writing in the mid-350s, complained that the mines were being underutilized. 10 Peter G. van Alfen Pi-type I/II 1. Rev.: cut. 2. Rev.: ctmk 1 (x 2). 3. Rev.: cut. Pi-type III/IV 4-6. No marks. 7. Rev.: cut. 8. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 9. (No marks). 10. Rev.: cut. 11. Obv.: ctmk 2; rev: cut. 12-13. (No marks). 14. Rev.: cut. 15. Obv.: ctmk 3. 16. (No marks). 17. Obv.: ctmk 4. 18. (No marks). 19. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 20. Rev.: cut. 21. Rev.: cut. 22. Rev.: cut. 23. Rev.: cut. 24. (No marks). 25. Rev.: cut. 26. (No marks). 27. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 28. Rev.: cut. 29. Rev.: cut. 30. Rev.: cut. 31. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 32-34. (No marks). 35. Rev.: cut. 36. Rev.: cut. 37. (No marks). 38. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 39. Rev.: cut. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 40. Rev.: cut. 41. (No marks). 42. Obv.: cut (x 2). 43. Rev.: cut. 44. (= Price 141); 16.99 g obv: ctmk 5; rev: ctmk 6, cut. 45. (= Price 142); 17.04 g obv: ctmk 5; ctmk 7; rev: cut. 46. (= Price 143); 16.86 g obv: ctmks 8 and 9 (?); rev: cut. 47. (= Price 144); 16.66 g obv: ctmk 10; rev: cut. 48. (= Price 145); 15.85 g obv: ctmk 11. 49. (= Price 146); 16.73 g rev: ctmk 12; cut. Pi-type III/IV (oval flans) 50. Rev.: ctmk 4. 51. Rev.: ctmks 13 and 14 (x 2). 52. Rev.: cut. 53. Rev.: ctmk 4, 54-55. (No marks). 56. Rev.: cut. 57. (No marks). Pi-type V 58. Rev.: cut. 59. Rev.: cut. 60. (No marks). 61. Rev.: 2 cuts. 62-63. (No marks). 64. Rev.: cut. 65. (No marks). 66. Rev.: 2 cuts. 67. (No marks). Uncertain Pi-types 68. Rev.: cut. 69. (No marks). 70. Rev.: cut. 71. (No marks). 72. Rev.: ctmk 15, cut. 12 Peter G. van Alfen 73. (No marks). 74, Rev.: cut. 75. Rev.: cut. 76. Rev.: 3 cuts. 77. (No marks). 78. Rev.: cut. 79. Obv.: ctmk 4; rev: cut. 80. Obv.: ctmk 16 (?); rev: 3 cuts. 81. (No marks). 82. Rev.: cut. 83. (No marks). 84. Obv.: ctmk 13; rev: cut. 85. Rev.: cut. 86. (No marks). 87. Rev.: cut. 88. Obv.: ctmk? 89. Rev.: 2 cuts. 90. Rev.: cut. 91. (No marks). IMITATIONS (NOS. 92-132) The non-Athenian quality of the following owls leaves little doubt that they were made outside of Athens, in the Levant or Egypt. But with the obvious exception of the Artaxerxes and Sabakes coins (nos. 115-132, discussed below), parallels for the remaining coins (nos. 92-114) are few. Because nos. 99-101 are die-linked, it is quite likely that the coins were minted in the vicinity of where they were found. These three coins, along with nos. 98 and 102, are stylistically quite similar to groups X and XII from the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000). Rather than continue to suggest, as I did earlier, that groups X and XII are Babylonian, it is more reasonable to think of them, along with nos. 98-102 here, as (eastern) Syrian products.1' Also, I 1' Babylonia does not appear to have minted any coins, officially or unofficially, before the arrival of the Macedonians (van Alfen 2000: 29-41). Thus it would make Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 13 have labeled nos. 98-102 "quasi pz-types" since it is clear that the engravers were most influenced by the Athenian pi style, but they did not copy the attributes faithfully and so the design schema appears confused. Among the frontal-eye pieces, Price read Phoenician ayin on the cheek of no. 114 and so attributed it to Gaza.18 Another frontal- eye piece, no. Ill, is likely an example of Buttrey's Egyptian style M (see below), although the state of its preservation might cause hesita- tion in the attribution. Finally, another candidate for an Egyptian product is no. 110, which is die-linked to a coin (Robinson 1947: pi. 5 no. 13) from the Tell el-Maskhouta hoard (IGCH 1649), which in turn appears related to a variety (type I; see below) of the Artaxerxes coins (e.g., no. 115). As far as can be determined then, about half (20 out of 41) of the imitative owls (nos. 110, 111, 115-132) are Egyptian-made. The number might be higher: we cannot be absolutely certain where the remaining imitative owls from the hoard were manufactured and Egypt, of course, must be considered a possibility. Pi-type 92. Rev.: cut. 93. Rev.: 2 cuts. 94. Obv.: cut. 95. Rev.: cut. 96. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 97. Rev.: 3 cuts. Quasi pi-type 98. (No marks). 99. (= Price 37)(no marks). 100. (= Price 38)(no marks). more sense, since the 1989 Syria hoard appears to date roughly 10 years earlier than the 1973 Iraq hoard, for the flow of coins of groups X and XII to be eastward rather than westward. 18 Price (1993: no. 42) wrongly labeled this coin "profile eye". Ayin alone, or with zion, appearing on Athenian imitations (e.g., ANS SNG, vol. 6, no. 32) or Philisto- Arabian types, has long been understood to be an abbreviation for the city name Gaza. A pi-style imitation from Gaza is known from the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000: no. 120). 14 Peter G. van Alfen 101. (= Price 39) (no marks). 102. (= Price 40); 17.05 g; rev: owl to 1.; ctmk 4 (?), cut. Frontal-eye type 103. (= Price 23); 16.88 g; 8:00 (no marks). 104. 16.37 g; 9:00 (no marks). 105. 16.12 g; 9:00 (no marks). 106. Obv.: cut; rev: 3 cuts. 107. (= Price 24?); rev: cut. 108. Obv.: ctmk 4; rev: ctmk 4, 2 cuts. 109. Obv.: cut; rev: cut. 110. Rev.: cut. 111. Obv.: ctmk 15; rev: cut. 112. Obv.: cut; rev: 4 cuts. 113. Obv.: ctmk?; rev: 2 cuts. 114. (= Price 42); ayin on cheek; obv: 2 cuts; rev: 2 cuts. Artaxerxes type 115. Price 147); 17.21 g; 7:00 (no marks). 116. Price 148); 15.70 g; 9:00; rev: 2 cuts. 117. Price 149); 16.26 g; 7:00; obv: cut; rev: 4 cuts. 118. Price 150); 17.26 g; 11:00 (no marks). 119. Price 151); 16.69 g; 12:00 (no marks). 120. Price 152); 17.18 g; 9:00; obv: cut. 121. Price 153); 16.26 g; 9:00 (no marks). 122. Price 154); 17.00 g; 7:00; rev: 2 cuts. 123. Price 155): 16.35s J; rev: 3 cuts. 124. Price 156); 16.90 g; 7:00; rev: 2 cuts. Saba ies type 125. Price 157); 16.95 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 1. 126. Price 158); 16.70 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 1; cut. 127. Price 159); 17.08 g; 9:00 (no marks). 128. Price 160); 16.48 g; 9:00; rev: 2 cuts. 129. Price 161); 16.70 g; 8:00 (no marks). 130. Price 162); 16.79 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk 1. 131. Price 163); 16.88 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1 (x 3); rev: ctmk 132. Price 164); 16.66 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk 4. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 15 Excessively Worn 133-142. Not illustrated. REVIEW OF PRE-MACEDONIAN COINAGE IN EGYPT Before continuing further with the discussion of the owls from the 1989 Syria hoard, a digression on pre-Macedonian coinage in Egypt is needed, considering the large proportion of Egyptian-made coins found in the hoard. Other considerations also warrant the digression: although H. Nicolet-Pierre's 1979 study of the Sabakes and Mazakes series of Egyptian-made Athenian imitations set right many of the earlier disputes concerning these coins, the obvious close relation of these coins to the Artaxerxes series, the number of which dramatically increased with the 1989 Syria find, requires fuller treatment. Further- more, no recent attempt has been made to bring all the various series of pre-Macedonian Egyptian-made coins into focus within one paper.19 By doing so, it is hoped that a clearer picture of Egyptian monetary systems and the imitation phenomenon in Egypt may emerge, as well as a better idea of how Egyptian coins circulated within the region, as evidenced by the 1989 Syria and other hoards. With only a handful of exceptions,20 coin production in Egypt before the arrival of Alexander III was limited to the minting of Athenian imitations; coin finds as well as five Athenian-type dies from Egypt prove this to be the case.21 This is quite a remarkable phenomenon 19 Previous scholars who have attempted a global conspectus of pre-Macedonian coinage in Egypt include Bogaert (1980), Curtis (1957), Dumas (197-1, 1977), Harrison (1982), and Mavrogordato (1908). Also see Le Rider (1997) for issues pertaining to pre-Macedonian monetization in Egypt. 20 These are 1) the mid-fourth-century AV staters and AE fractions of Nektanebo II (?, c. 80 known), 2) the AR and AE fractions of Sabakes (9 known), and 3) the AE fraction of Mazakes; see below for further discussion of these series. No example of the extremely pure silver coinage of the early fifth-century Egyptian ruler Aryandes mentioned by Herodotos (4.166) has yet been located, which may indicate the coinage was a fiction. Tuplin (1989), who reviews the philological evidence, accepts the veracity of the story despite the lack of material evidence. _1 For the dies see Vermeule (1954: nos. 1-5) and Jonkcss (1950). 16 Peter G. van Alfen given the widespread use of Aegean and Levantine coinage up and down the Nile during the Persian period, and in light of the coinages of local design produced in the neighboring Levant, which the Levan- tine production of Athenian imitations supplemented. In fact, except for the mid-fourth-century coinage of Nektanebo II (?), Egypt produced no coinage during the Persian period with what might be considered purely native designs.22 In what follows, I provide a brief introduction to the different series of pre-Macedonian Egyptian coins (or those thought to be Egyptian), and provide a list of (most) published examples, as well as unpublished pieces in the ANS cabinets (those illustrated are marked "*"). This list is not meant to be a corpus; for some series, like the Nektanebo II (?) staters and Buttrey's types, the list is far from complete for the reasons noted below. The list is arranged in what must be considered only a rough chronological sequence. We can be reasonably certain of the sequence of the named Artaxerxes, Sabakes, and Mazakes series, and the approximate date for the named gold coin of Takhos. Otherwise the dates and attributions are conjectural. I. Buttrey's Types In two brief articles published in the early 1980s, T. V. Buttrey (1982, 1984) suggested that there were at least three series of previ- ously overlooked, anonymous frontal-eye imitations from Egypt,23 which he arbitrarily labeled Styles X, B, and M. Buttrey's criteria for classification were not entirely clear; Flament (2001) has recently recti- fied this problem and has added yet another type to Buttrey's list, Style A, a sub-category of Style M. Buttrey's identification of these 22 Earlier scholars (e.g., Jenkins 1955: 148) argued that all of the so-called "Egypto-Arabian" series (cf. BMC Palestine pi. 20 nos. 1-7) was Egyptian-made. More recently, however, many, but not all of the types have been shown to fit squarely within the Philislo-Arabian tradition, and so should be considered products of the southern Levantine coast, not Egypt (Mildenberg 1994, 1995, 1997. 2000). 23 Buttrey's claims (1982:138) of extensive die linking among Styles X and B within the Karanis hoard and with other owls found in Egypt strengthens his suppo- sition that coins were produced in Egypt. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 17 new series of imitations was based on his work on a hoard of 347 owls purchased in the Fayum during the University of Michigan's excava- tions at Karanis in the 1930s; despite Buttrey's good intentions 20 years ago, this important hoard remains unpublished (and unlisted in either IGCH or CH). Obtaining an accurate tally, or even attempting a die study of Styles X, B, and M is, at this stage, impossible without publication of the Karanis hoard. I have listed below the number mentioned for each style by Buttrey and Flament, as well as other examples from the ANS collection (illustrated) and from published sources not previously noted. Style B *1. ANS 1923.999.97; 16.72 g; 11:00; obv: ctmks 4, 15, and 17; rev: ctmks 3, 18, and 19. *2. ANS 1944.100.24214; 17.06 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 16, cut (from IGCH 1259). *3. ANS 1944.100.24219; 16.41 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 20; rev: ctmk 20, cut (from Phoenicia). *4. ANS 1944.100.24223; 16.98 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 21; rev: ctmk 22, 2 cuts (from IGCH 1259)(= SNG ANS 6, no. 4). *5. ANS 1944.100.24234; 17.08 g; 9:00; obv: cut; rev: 2 cuts (from IGCH 1259). *6. ANS 1944.100.24235; 17.10 g; 9:00; obv. ctmk no. 4; rev: 2 cuts (from IGCH 1259). *7. ANS 1953.171.226; 17.03; 9:00; obv: ctmk 25 (x 2); rev: cut. *8. ANS 1965.187.1; 17.03; 9:00; obv: ctmks 23 and 24; rev: ctmk 22, cut. 9. SNG Delepierre 1453; 14.04 g (corroded); 9:00. 10. SNG Delepierre 1454; 17.06 g; 7:00; rev: ctmk 26 (from CH VIII.125). 11-156. From Karanis hoard (Buttrey 1982: 138). 157-228 (?). From Tell el-Maskhouta hoard (IGCH 1649; Buttrey 1982: 139; Flament 2001: 46). 229. From Al Mina (IGCH 1487; Flament 2001: 45). 230-232. From Piraeus, 1977 (Flament 2001: 46). 233. From Mit Rahinah (Flament 2001: 46). 234. From Cilicia (CH V.15; Flament 2001: 46). 18 Peter G. van Alfen Style M *1. ANS 1923.999.98; 16.92 g; 9:00; obv: cut. *2. ANS 1929.115.4; 16.95 g; 8:00. *3. ANS 1944.100.24206; 17.09 g; 9:00. * l. ANS 1944.100.24208; 16.82 g; 9:00; obv: ctmks 27 and 28 (from Syria). *5. ANS 1944.100.24215; 17.09 g; 9:00 (from IGCH 1259). *6. ANS 1953.171.228; 16.70 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 49. *7. ANS 1957.172.1116; 17.07 g; 9:00; obv: die flaw. *8. ANS 1957.172.1123; 16.97 g; 9:00. *9. ANS 1957.172.1124; 17.02 g; 9:00. 10-11. From Al Mina (IGCH 1487; Flament 2001: 40). 12-16. From Karaman hoard (IGCH 1243; Flament 2001: 40-41). 17-25. From Tell el-Maskhouta (IGCH 1649; Flament 2001: 40-41). 26-30. From Mit Rahinah (Flament 2001: 41). 31-34. Svoronos (1975: pi. 17.9, 11, 20, pi. 19.11; Flament 2001: 41). 35-38. From Lebanon hoard (CH VIII.133; Flament 2001: 41). 39-40. From Piraeus, 1977 (Flament 2001: 41). 41. From Tel el-Athrib (IGCH 1663; Flament 2001: 41). 42. From Cilicia (CH Y.15; Flament 2001: 41). 43. From Sicily (Buttrey 1982: 140 n. 6). Style A *1. ANS 1944.100.24226; 17.13 g; 9:00 (from Egypt, Nahman's hoard). *2. ANS 1944.100.24227; 16.87 g; 9:00; obv: graffito "X" (from Egypt, Nahman's hoard). 3. From Karaman hoard (IGCH 1243; Flament 2001: 43). 4-5. Svoronos (1975), pi. 19.3, 5 (Flament 2001: 43).2'1 6-7. From Tell el-Maskhouta (IGCH 1649; Flament 2001: 44). John Kroll (personal communication) noted that the obverse of Svoronos pi. 19.5 is very similar to pi. 19.13-14, 32, which likely belong to an Athenian pre-pi series of the earlier fourth century. Nicolet-Pierre recently suggested that this series also is imitative and from Egypt, a theory which Kroll rejects (see Kroll 2001, 10, n.13). The reverse of Svoronos pi. 19.5, however, is closer in style to that of Flamenf's type A, than the pre-p; types. Clearly this coin is another example of those Athenian types that walk the very fine line between imitative and authentic; no judgment can or should be passed on the coin. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 19 Style X *1. ANS 1941.131.550; 16.93 g; 9:00; obv: ctmks 1 (x 2) and 29; rev: ctmks 1 (x 3) and 8. *2. ANS 1944.100.24232; 17.09 g; 9:00. *3. ANS 1944.100.24233; 16.83 g; 9:00. *4. ANS 1944.100.24236; 16.99 g; 9:00. *5. ANS 1944.100.24237; 16.23 g; 9:00; possibly plated (found in Palestine). *6. ANS 1944,100.24238; 16.12 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk (?); rev: ctmk 4 (found in Syria). *7. ANS 1955.54.192; 17.08 g; 9:00. 8. SNG Delepierre 1457; 17.01 g; 9:00 (found in Egypt). 9. SNG Delepierre 1458; 17.06 g; 9:00 (found in Egypt). 10. SNG Delepierre 1459; 16.89 g; 9:00 (found in Egypt). 11-23. From Karanis hoard (Buttrey 1982: 138). 24-27. Svoronos (1975), pi. 19.6-7, 8, 12 (Flament 2001: 45). 28-31. From Karaman hoard (IGCH 1243; Flament 2001: 45). 32-36. From Tell el-Maskhouta hoard (IGCH 1649; Flament 2001:45). 37. Plated example? (Seltman 1955: pi. XXVII, 10). The following coins in the ANS collection seem closely related to the Buttrey/Flament types, but cannot be readily assigned to any partic- ular group. Also note that three (perhaps four) of them are plated. To this list might also be added Svoronos (1975: pi. 19.1). Owl no. 4 below was first published by Noe (1954: 87, pi. 14 no. 7), who thought that the countermark on the obverse (Figure 1 no. 51) pictured a "crested (?) head with beady eyes facing front". His suggestion that it might also be a helmet is here adopted. Miscellaneous *1. ' ANS 0000.999.9884; 16.57 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 30; rev. ctmk 28. *2. ANS 1951.142.1; 17.02 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 26. *3. ANS 1952.83.2; 17.08 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 28; rev: ctmks 4 and 26. *4. ANS 1952.83.3; 17.06 g; 7:00; obv: ctmk 51; rev: cut; ctmk 4. *5. ANS 1953.171.224; 16.32 g; 9:00; obv: cut; rev: ctmk 23; 2 cuts. *6. ANS 1953.171.229; 14.29 g; 8:00; obv: ctmk 31; rev: cut. *7. ANS 1953.171.231; 17.03 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk no. 10. 20 Peter G. van Alfen *8. ANS 1953.171.233; 12.92 g; 9:00; plated. *9. ANS 1953.171.1837; 12.62 g; 11:00; plated. *10. ANS 1957.172.1127; 14.63 g; 3:00; plated; pierced. *11. ANS 1974.26.239; 16.57 g; 9:00; obv: graffito "X"; rev: ctmk 19. *12. ANS 1986.33.1; 17.18 g; 9:00; plated? II. Marked and unmarked Fractions a. uah-series At some point before 1890 a small hoard of silver fractions, of Athe- nian type but with the hieroglyphic symbol uah on the reverse, was found in Sicily (IGCH 2165). The disposition of the hoard is far from clear: J. Mavrogordato purchased one of the coins in 1907 (1908: 197; Newell 1938: 59, n.120), a coin that later went to the British Museum (Jenkins 1955: no.21). E. T. Newell (1938: no.33) discussed a fraction likely from the hoard in his personal collection and mentioned, in his unpublished notes, owning several other obols and hemiobols like it. A few other coins, possibly from the Sicilian hoard, found their way into notable European collections. All are profile-eye imitations with the hieroglyph uah ("lasting") on the reverse between the Athenian ethnic and the owl; Newell (1938: 60) thought the series should date from the end of the Persian period in Egypt, but this was little more than spec- ulation. The hieroglyph imparts the notion of validity, but whether it refers to the authority, the metal, or the weight of the coin is not known (Dumas 1974: 572). The weight standard of these coins is some- thing of a mystery; with weights of around 0.4 to 0.5 grams the average falls at roughly the midpoint between the weight of the Athe- nian obol and hemiobol, and likewise it is too light for Levantine frac- tional standards. 1. ANS 1944.100.62652 (=NeweIl 1938: no. 33; SNG ANS 6, no. 28); 0.53; 12:00; rev: uah. 2. SNG Cop, no. 5: 0.50 g; rev: uah (= Svoronos 1975: pi. CIX.43). 3. Mavrogordato 1908: no. 1; 0.48 g; rev: uah (= Jenkins 1955: no. 21). 4. Svoronos 1975: pi. 109.42; 0.42 g; rev: uah. 5. Svoronos 1975: pi. 109.44; rev: uah. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 21 b. "Egyplo-Arabian" Jenkins (1955: 148) felt that a number of small coins imitating not only Athens but also Kimon's Arethusa types, some of which had been found in a hoard in northwest Arabia (IGCH 1755), were "unquestion- ably" Egyptian. Time, however, has given us reason to question the attri- bution; most share characteristics with Philisto-Arabian types that likely originated in the region around Gaza, or perhaps even the Sinai, rather than the Nile corridor. Possible exceptions, however, are two Athenian imitation obols. The obverse of these coins shows a rough, nondescript Athena, the reverse the expected owl and olive spray. But the legend has been modified: the central letter theta has been replaced by a rotund Greek amphora. This amphora symbol has a parallel in a counter- mark (Figure 1 no. 38) found on a bona fide pi-style Athenian coin (ANS 1944.100.24328) that came from a hoard of heavily countermarked owls found in Egypt, and one from the Tell el-Maskhouta hoard (van Alfen 2002: Endicott's hoard no. 5; Robinson 1947: 115). Among the specifi- cally Egyptian countermarks on these owls is the hieroglyph nefer (Figure 1 no. 9), which also has parallels on Egyptian-made coins (see Nektanebo II below). While the link between the amphora symbol and countermark is not conclusive, it does at least make the case for an Egyptian attribution for the imitation obols stronger. 1. BMC Palestine, p. 183, no. 5; pi. XX, no. 5; 0.66 g; 6:00. 2. BMC Palestine, p. 183, no. 6; pi. XX, no. 5, 0.60 g; 6:00. c. Naukratis Purchased in Egypt in the 1920s, this unique imitation was minted in Naukratis, as the legend NAU, replacing the Athenian ethnic, almost certainly implies. Newell, who first published the coin (1938: no. 35), also suggested that this fraction preceded a bronze, but not imitative, fractional series from Naukratis also with the legend NAU. Le Rider (1997: 93) argues that this bronze series dates from the time of Kleomenes, the fiscal administrator of Egypt put in place by Alexander in 332/1. However, Bresson (2000: 75) is correct to note that with the prevalence of other imitative Athenian coins in Egypt from the early fourth century on, the date of the coin cannot be considered secure. 22 Peter G. van Alfen 1. ANS 1944.100.75458: 0.64 g; rev legend: NAU (= Newell 1938, no. 35). d. MNPT-series Two examples of this series are known from the Abu Shusheh hoard (IGCH 1507); one is from the Samaria hoard (CH IX.413). Newell (1938: 54) felt that the Aramaic inscription, MNPT, appearing on the reverse between the owl and Athenian ethnic, had a "distinctly Iranian sound" and so rendered it as an Iranian personal name, e.g., Mana- pates. Decades later, Lipinski (1982: 28-30) argued that the inscription meant "Memphite", i.e., indicating Memphis as the mint. More recent commentators have followed Newell, rather than Lipinski, although what the Aramaic is meant to say remains a matter of controversy (Moysey 1989:118-119). The Palestinian find spots of the coins and the prevalence of stylistically similar coins from the Samaria hoard, though bearing different Aramaic inscriptions, make it seem most likely that these coins are Levantine, not Egyptian. 1. ANS 1944.100.62649 (= Newell 1938: no. 25); 0.75 g; 9:00. 2. Lambert 1933: no. 4; 0.79 g; 9:00. 3. Meshorer and Qedar (1999) no. 48; 0.79 g. e. Miscellaneous Another coin from Newell's collection, again imitating a late fifth- century obol, is unfortunately not well enough preserved for the inscription to be read; Newell thought it might have been Aramaic rather than Greek (1938: no. 26). On what appears stylistically to be a later coin (post-Alexander, according to Newell 1938: 60), the lotus appears again but in conjunction with additional characters, one of which Newell read as Greek E. The lotus suggests Egyptian origin, although similar lotuses appear in Svoronos (1975: pi. 110 nos. 45-47) on fractions with a Greek Athenian ethnic. Finally, although they are not technically fractions, three imitative drachms are placed in this group because of their smaller size and comparative rarity in the sea of tetradrachm imitations. Flament (2001: 41) notes that two drachms of Buttrey's Style M were found at Mit Rahinah. A third imitative drachm, from the ANS collection, came out of the Tell el-Maskhouta hoard (IGCH 1649). Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 23 1. Obol; ANS 1944.100.62651 (= Newell 1938: no. 26); 0.88 g; 12:00. 2. Obol; ANS 1944.100.62653 (= Newell 1938: no. 34); 0.57 g; 12:00. 3-4. Drachms, Buttrey style M; Flament 2001: 41. 5. Drachm; ANS 1951.17.2 •(= van Alfen 2002: Maskhouta no. 8) 3.88 g; 9:00. III. Takhos The British Museum owns the sole example of a gold Athenian imitation with the Greek legend TAS2, refering to Ta(kh)os, Pharaoh of Egypt for only two years, 363/2-362/1. The coin is almost certainly- related to his campaign against the Persian king in the Levant, a campaign which required novel economic measures for its financing (see below). The weight of the coin is not Attic, but corresponds to the Persian gold daric (Hill 1926: 130). 1. Hill 1926: p. 130, no.23: AV, 8.30 g; 9:00. IV. Nektanebo II (?) Another series of gold coins, of which approximately eighty are known,20 is clearly Egyptian; these coins do not imitate those of Athens but rather have on the obverse a prancing horse, on the reverse hieroglyphs meaning "good gold" (nefer nub). Jenkins (1955: 150) felt "virtually forced" to choose Nektanebo II (361/60-343), Takhos' usurper, as the pharaoh responsible for the issue, an attribution quite open to dispute. A matter of complication too is the fact that the weights of the coins vary considerably (from c. 8.00 g to 8.90 g), making it difficult to determine what standard was used; Jenkins favored the daric. Jenkins also published in the same article a silver coin (1955: 148, pi. XIII, B; the ANS possesses a die duplicate) that could be related to the gold series. The obverse roughly imitates the head of Athena, while the reverse displays an original design: two inward-facing eagles framing the hieroglyphs nefer ("good") and neb 2o Individual published examples are rare. Jenkins (1955: 149) lists the weights, but no other details, of 20 coins. Bolshakov (1992) discusses one more in the Hermitage collection; the ANS also owns one example (1963.268.72). Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert is currently preparing a study of this coinage. 24 Peter G. van Alfen ("all"). The use of nefer on both series (as well as for a countermark, Figure 1 no. 9, found on a number of Athenian coins that had circu- lated in Egypt) might serve to connect the two issues; the attributions otherwise remain unresolved. Finally, a series of bronze fractions in at least two denominations having a leaping animal (gazelle or goat) on the obverse and a set of balance scales on the reverse was attributed to Nektanebo by Weiser (1995: no. 1), who published the first known example. This attribution, however, is entirely speculative and awaits confirmation by further finds, preferably from Egypt.26 AR fractions 1. Jenkins 1955: 148, pi. XIII, B: 0.56 g. 2. ANS 1965.139.1; 0.50 g; 11:00. AE fractions 1. Weiser 1995: no. 1; 2.56 g; 12:00. 2. CNG 57, 4 April 2001, lot 604; 4.31 g. 3. Frank L. Kovacs (www.frankkovacs.com), 12 November 2002, no. 31037; 4.25 g. V. Artaxerxes series Although this series of coins has been known since 1954, it wasn't until the example from the 1973 Iraq hoard surfaced, having a clear, well-centered legend, that the Demotic inscription was correctly trans- lated as "Pharaoh Artaxerxes" (Shore 1974). Earlier attempts at deci- phering the inscription had teased out the name Takhos and thus the coin was thought to be an issue of this ruler, minted in conjunction with the gold series (Jenkins 1955: 145). Of the three Persian kings named Artaxerxes, Morkholm (1974: 3) argued that it must have been Artaxerxes III Okhos who minted the series during the five years of his rule, 343/2 to 338/7, after his conquest of Egypt. There is little reason to dispute Morkholm's conclusion. Fischer-Bossert (personal communication) has expressed serious doubt about the Nektanebo attribution, suggesting instead that they originated in Asia Minor. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 25 Until the discovery of the 1989 Syria hoard, only a very small number of the coins were known; that number has now grown to seventeen examples divided into four primary types. Price (1993) laid the groundwork for distinguishing the different types, but did not take the matter farther. Here I continue Price's work by setting forth the types and their stylistic criteria, and noting die links. The listing of the types likely reflects a chronological sequence, if we can presume a progression from frontal-eye to profile-eye styles mimicking that at Athens. The sequence of the sub-categories of type IV is not certain, although type IVd might well be the last of the series due to the pres- ence of the "Sabakes symbol". Type I The obverse of this type shows what is at times a rather crudely cut frontal-eye Athena (e.g., no. 1); all other helmet features are similar to Attic owls of the later fifth century. On the reverse, the owl, as on no. 2, can appear close to fifth-century types with finer features, or, as on no. 1, to later pz'-type owls with large dots denoting body feathers. The Demotic inscription on these coins differs in execution from that on type II, thus it is called style A Demotic. 1. Ol/Rl: British Museum; 15.41 g; 9:00 (Morkholm 1974: no. 8). 2. 02/R2: 1973 Iraq hoard; 17.06 g; 9:00; obv: 2 cuts; rev: cut (Morkholm 1974: no. 7). 3. 03/R3: 1989 Syria no. 115 (= Price 147); 17.21 g; 7:00. 4. 04/R4: 1989 Syria no. 116 (= Price 148); 15.70 g; 9:00; rev: 2 cuts. 5. 05/R5: 1989 Syria no. 117 (= Price 149); 16.26 g; 7:00; obv: cut; rev: 4 cuts. Type II Athena's eye on this type appears caught in a transition between frontal and profile style. Also the placement of the ear is odd, too high and too far back, and the floral ornament behind the ear is too small when compared to Attic issues. On the reverse a pz'-style owl and style A Demotic are found. 6a. 06/R6: 1989 Syria no.118 (= Price 150); 17.26 g; 11:00. 6b. 06:R6: 1989 Syria no.119 (= Price 151); 16.69 g; 12:00. 26 Peter G. van Alfen Type III The more cursive style B Demotic legend replaces style A; all other characteristics of this type adhere closely to the Athenian pi-style issues. 7. 07/R7: 1989 Syria no. 120 (= Price 152); 17.18 g; 9:00; obv: cut. 8. 08/R8: 1989 Syria no. 121 (= Price 153); 16.26 g; 9:00. 9. 09/R9: Triton II, lot 515; 16.84 g; obv: die flaw. Type IV Price noted the stylistic continuity between type III and type IVa and suggested that they belong to the same series. The inscriptions on type IVa, however, complicate the question. The inscription to the left of the owl is recognizably Aramaic, but the two-line inscription to the right is neither securely Aramaic nor securely Demotic and cannot be read. In the Aramaic, on the other hand, Price (1993: 31) read three letters, zayin, het, kaph, and understood them to represent the name of the minting official; the suggestion of the cataloguer for Auctiones 20, Nov. 1990, lot 512, that "Tarsus" might be read seems less likely. On types IVb-d the inscription to right is likely derived from the Demotic inscriptions of types I—III above, but again appears garbled.2' All three types (IVb-d) have the Aramaic letters ayin samek either to the left of the owl (IVb and d), or below the tail feathers (IVc).28 In addition to these inscriptions, type IVd bears the "Sabakes symbol" (see below) in the right field, and the signs ankh, wedj, seneb of the pharaonic formula "life, prosperity, wealth". 2/ Over a century ago, Six (1877: 224, no. 17; 231, n.141), who examined the coin in Berlin (no. 15 here) thought he could read Aramaic LSMSH in the inscription, a reading due partly to the second line of the inscription being off-flan, as well as the garbled nature of the inscription itself. "8 This same abbreviation, ayin samek, appears on two unrelated issues, a well- made pi-style imitation (Le Rider 1961: 13, no. 7) and one of Mazakes' imitations from Babylonia (van Alfen 2000: no. X12). Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 27 Type IVa 10a. O10/R10: 1989 Syria no. 122 (= Price 154); 17.00 g; 7:00; rev: 2 cuts. 10b. O10/R10: Auctiones 20, Nov. 1990, lot 512; 16.37 g. Type IVb 11a. Oll/Rll: Triton I, Dec. 1997, lot 621 (= Leu 83, lot 261); 15.75 g; obv: ctmk no. 1. lib. Oll/Rll: Paris 1973.1.447 (Nicolet-Pierre 2000: 122, n. 20). 12. 011/R12: Svoronos 1975: pi. 108.27; 17.03 g. Type IVc 13. 011/R13: 1989 Syria no. 123 (= Price 155); 16.35 g; rev: 3 cuts. Type IVd 14. 012/R14: 1989 Syria no. 124 (= Price 156); 16.90 g; 7:00; rev: 2 cuts. V. Sabakes series Well-known and well-discussed over the course of the last century, this series is the issue of the antepenultimate Persian satrap of Egypt (c. 340-333), whose name has come to us as Sabakes.29 All 49 examples listed here are well-executed pi-style imitations generally minted on large, flat flans. Variation, when it occurs, is primarily to be found in the legends. All examples bear, in the right field, a large four letter Aramaic inscription, SWYK, to the left of which is a symbol, here called the "Sabakes symbol", possibly representing a lightning bolt. Additional Aramaic (?) letters appear in the left field on type III coins. The unusual shape of the three characters, however, makes deci- 29 One of the first scholars to study the series, Six (1888) initially argued that the series belonged to Sabakes, then later (1895) retracted his argument and suggested the coins came from the Syrian village of Sokha. Nicolet-Pierre's (1979) definitive study of the coinage again argued for Sabakes; Lipinski's (1982) suggestion that the coinage was minted by the Jewish colony at Syene has been largely ignored (but see Price 1990). 28 Peter G. van Alfen pherment quite difficult; the function of the letters has been under- stood to be a toponym denoting the mint, or the name of the minting official, or perhaps a formula indicating the denomination.30 The basic difference between type I and type II coins is the shape of the final letter of the Aramaic legend; on type I coins the letter appears closer in shape to nun, while on type II it is clearly a kaph. Disagreements about the translation of the legend have focused almost exclusively on this final character; on type III coins one can see that both shapes are used alternately, thus showing that the difference was primarily due to the individual engraver's style. Both the preserved number of examples and the number of dies suggest that this was a fairly large coinage.31 Moreover, it was supple- mented by at least three different types of fractional coinage in both bronze and silver that also were imitative, but not of Athens. The silver fractions (type I) imitate those of Sidon, with a galley on the obverse and the Persian king grappling a lion on the reverse; above the galley on no. 1 the legend SWYK appears. The two types of bronze issues are more reminiscent of satrapal issues from southern Asia Minor than purely imitative. Type I carries a lion (with star above) on the obverse much like that found on the lion staters of Babylon and on the reverse a standing archer with Aramaic SWYK to the right; type II has a kneeling archer and SWYK legend (to left) on the reverse, with a bearded head to right on the obverse. Sabakes Athenian Imitations Type I: nun-type la. Ol/Rl (Nicolet-Pierre 1); 17.05 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk 1. lb. Ol/Rl ANS 1944.100.75462; 16.70 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 1. 30 See the discussion in Nicolet-Pierre (1979: 226-27). Lipinski (1982: 28) suggests the three letters should be read as MNP (= Memphis); Six (1888: 137) suggested the name of a Persian quaestor. ,M The Alexandria museum possesses at least four additional examples (Lipinski 1982: 25; Babelon 1907: no. 1100); Newell (1938: 65) mentions that he had been offered "several" for sale in Egypt, but turned them down because of their poor condition. The list of coins that follows is based on that of Nicolet-Pierre (1979); the numeration of the dies (e.g., Ol/Rl) likewise follows her schema. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 29 2. 01/R2 (Nicolet-Pierre 2). 3a. 01/R3 (Nicolet-Pierre 3); 16.35 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 32. 3b. 01/R3: 1989 Syria no. 125 (= Price 157): 16.95 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 1. 4. 02/R4 (Nicolet-Pierre 4); 17.12 g; obv: ctmks 3 and 18 (?); rev: ctmk 4. 5. 02/R? 1989 Syria no. 126 (= Price 158); 16.70 g; 9:00; rev: ctmk 1; cut. 6. 03/R5 (Nicolet-Pierre 5); 16.66 g; 7:00; obv: ctmks 32 and 33; rev: ctmk 16 and (?). 7. 0?/R5? Ward Collection, 502 (ANS photo file); 17.01 g; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk 1. 8. 04/R6 (Nicolet-Pierre 6); 16.24 g; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk 1. 9. 05/R7 (Nicolet-Pierre 7); 15.10 g. 10. 06?/R8? (Nicolet-Pierre 8); 17.19 g. 11. 07/R9 (Nicolet-Pierre 9); 16.04 g; rev: ctmk 19. 12. O8/R10 (Nicolet-Pierre 10); 14.97 g; rev: ctmk 8. 13a. 08/R11 (Nicolet-Pierre 11a); 15.08 g. 13b. 08/R11 (Nicolet-Pierre lib); 15.55 g; ctmk 34. 13c. 08/R11: Mdnzen & Medaillen, XIX, 6/6/59, lot 431. 14. 08/R12 (Nicolet-Pierre 12); 16.58 g; 7:00; obv: ctmk 35. 15. 08/R13 (Nicolet-Pierre 13); 16.72 g; rev: ctmk 16; cut. 16. 08/R?: CNG 53, 3/15/00, lot 689; 16.73 g; obv: cut; rev: ctmk 3; 2 cuts. 17. 08/R not in Nicolet-Pierre; Sotheby's, Late Collector, 1900, lot 439; 17.10 g. 18. O/R not in Nicolet-Pierre; Munzen & Medaillen, FPL 235, Aug. 1963, lot 16; 14.11 g; rev: ctmk 1. Type II: kaph-type 19. 08/R14 (Nicolet-Pierre 14); obv. ctmk (?); rev: ctmk 1. 20a. 08/R15 (Nicolet-Pierre 15a); 16.19 g; rev: ctmk 19 (?). 20b. 08/R15 (Nicolet-Pierre 15b); 15.99 g. 21a. 09/R16 (Nicolet-Pierre 16a). 21b. 09/R16 (Nicolet-Pierre 16b); 15.80 g; 12:00. 21c. 09/R16: Sotheby's, Delbeke Collection, 1907, lot 223. 21d. 09/R16: Triton II, 12/1/98, lot 516; 15.89 g. 22. O10/R17 (Nicolet-Pierre 17); 15.82 g. 30 Peter G. van Alfen 23. 0?/R?: Numismatica Wien, 7, 13.ii.75, lot 97; 16.78 g; 7:00; obv: 2 cuts; rev: cut. Type III: three Aramaic (?) letters to left 24a. 011/R18 (Nicolet-Pierre 18); 17.08 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk no. 1. 24b. 011/R18: 1989 Syria no. 127 (= Price 159); 17.08 g; 9:00. 24c. 011/R18: 1989 Syria no. 128 (= Price 160); 16.48 g; 9:00; rev: 2 cuts. 25. 011/R19 (Nicolet-Pierre 19); 16.07 g; obv: ctmks 15 and 36; rev: ctmk 36. 26a. O11/R20 (Nicolet-Pierre 20a). 26b. O11/R20 (Nicolet-Pierre 20b); 16.79 g; 9:00; obv: cut; rev: cut. 27a. 011/R21 (Nicolet-Pierre 21); 15.66 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 3; rev: cut. 27b. 011/R22: 1989 Syria no. 131 (= Price 163); 16.88 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1 (x 3); rev: ctmk 1 (x 2). 28a. 011/R22 (Nicolet-Pierre 22); 17.21 g; obv: ctmk 29. 28b. 011/R22: 1989 Syria no. 129 (= Price 161); 16.70 g; 8:00. 28c. 011/R22: 1989 Syria no. 130 (= Price 162); 16.79 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1; rev: ctmk 1. 29a. 011/R23 (Nicolet-Pierre 23); 16.95 g. 29b. 011/R23: CNG 49, 3/17/99, lot 738; 16.46 g; obv: ctmk 1; rev: cut. 30. 011/R24 (Nicolet-Pierre 24); 16.50 g. 31. 011/R25 (Nicolet-Pierre 25); 16.27 g; 6:00. 32. 011?/R? (Nicolet-Pierre 26); rev: ctmk 1 (x 2); cut. 33. Oll/R not in Nicolet-Pierre: CNG 49, 3/17/99, lot 737; 17.01 g; obv: ctmk (?); rev: ctmk 4; cut. 34. Oll/R not in Nicolet-Pierre: 1989 Syria no. 132 (= Price 164); 16.66 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 1; rev. ctmk 4. Sabakes fractional coinage Type I: AR, Sidonian types (galley/king fighting lion). 1. Six 1895: 206, no. 1: 0.70 g; rev: shin in exergue. 2. Six 1895: 206, no. 2: 0.41 g; obv: no legend; rev: samek kaphl to r. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 31 T}rpe II: AE, lion/standing archer 1. Bableon, Traite, II2: 635, no. 1026: obv: M to r. 2. ANS 1944.100.75464 (= Nicolet-Pierre 1979: pi. 26, A): 1.18 g; 12:00. 3. University of Pennsylvania excavations at Memphis (see Newell 1938: 66). 4. London (see Nicolet-Pierre 1979: 228): 1.32 g; 12:00. Type III: AE, bearded head/kneeling archer 1. Paris (Nicolet-Pierre 1979: pi. 26, B): 0.98 g; 5:00. 2. London (Nicolet-Pierre 1979: 228): 1.07 g; 12:00. 3. London (Nicolet-Pierre 1979: 228): 1.51 g; 12:00. VI. Mazakes-series Mazakes was appointed satrap of Egypt in 333 when Sabakes fell at the battle of Issus; a year later, in November 332, he turned Egypt over to the Macedonians without a fight. His Egyptian series of imita- tions,32 short-lived (333-332) and comparatively small in number, is unquestionably a continuation of the Sabakes series, but with the Aramaic legend MZDK replacing SWYK, and the "Mazakes symbol" replacing that of Sabakes. Continuity also seems to have been main- tained in the production of fractions. At least one bronze type is known having a bearded head and legend MZDK to right on the obverse, a galley with the Mazakes symbol above on the reverse. In addition to the bronze fraction and tetradrachms, there is as well a unique drachm in the name of Mazakes (Nicolet-Pierre 1979: pi. 26, i). Mazakes Athenian imitations3* Tetradrachms 1. 012/R26 (Nicolet-Pierre 27); 16.65 g; 9:00; obv: ctmk 3. 2. 012/R27 (Nicolet-Pierre 28); 17.08 g. 3. 012/R28 (Nicolet-Pierre 29); 16.45 g; 9:00. 32 See van Alfen (2000) for Mazakes' Babylonian series. 33 This list is based on that found in Nicolet-Pierre (1979); the numeration of the dies, like that for the Sabakes series, follows her schema. 32 Peter G. van Alfen Drachm 1. Nicolet-Pierre 1979: pi. 26, I; 4.09 g; 9:00. Mazakes fractional coinage AE, bearded head/ galley 1. ANS 1944.100.75465 (= Nicolet-Pierre 1979: pi. 26, C); 1.41 g; 6:00. DISCUSSION A. Egyptian minting A great deal about Athenian imitations is still not understood and must await study of the phenomenon of ancient imitation as a whole as well as of individual series.3'1 As a handful of examples show (e.g., Leu 83, 6-7/4/02, lot 243), the imitation of Athens' owl began early in the fifth century. By the end of the century, or more likely the begin- ning of the fourth, imitations were being produced extensively in Egypt and the Levant; by the end of the fourth century the practice had spread to Babylonia, Bactria (roughly modern Afghanistan), and South Arabia. In these latter areas imitations of Athenian coins were, if not the absolute first, then among the very first coins to be produced locally, a testament both to the range of ancient trade routes and to the unparalleled esteem for the Athenian owl as an instrument of exchange along the way. From an early date the Levant and Egypt, both lacking extensive precious-metal resources, especially silver, were eager to siphon off as much silver and gold from the more bountifully supplied Aegean as possible. In Egypt (and the Levant?) special taxes directed specifically at Aegean merchandise and ship captains brought large amounts of Aegean silver and gold into state coffers;30 these 31 Figueira (1998: 528-535) offers an overview of the phenomenon in Egypt and Asia Minor; Nicolet-Pierre (2000) does likewise for the Levant. 30 See, for example, the Ahiqar customs document from Egypt dated c. 475 BC which records gold and silver taxes paid by incoming Greek ships; Phoenician ships paid only silver (Yardeni 1994). Also from the fifth century are the Naukratis stele and its twin recently recovered from the waters near Alexandria, which list the Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 33 taxes and general (market) exchange are likely to account for the large numbers of Greek coin hoards from the early fifth century on found throughout the region.36 Despite the considerable presence of Aegean coins in the East, however, local coinages were slow to appear; the Phoenician city- states were the first to mint at the far eastern edge of the Mediterra- nean beginning around the middle of the fifth century;3' Phoenicia's (southern) neighbors—Judea, Philistia, and Egypt—did not begin to mint until nearly three quarters of a century later. The delay likely had more to do with the unabated, massive, and traditional use of certain forms of precious metals in exchange, e.g., ingots and Hack- silber, than with a lack of financial sophistication 38 Of all the eastern Mediterranean areas to mint, however, Egypt was among the very last; and when, at last, the coins did appear they were by and large close imitations of Athens' owl, not the more original, indigenous types from Cilicia and Phoenicia, for example, or even the highly modified Athe- nian types from the southern Levantine cities of Gaza and Ascalon (for examples, see Mildenburg 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000). Why there was such a strict adherence to the Athenian types in Egypt, as also happened in South Arabia and Bactria, is difficult to explain; social psychology, economics, perhaps even politics all might have contributed to the design choice.39 Once selected, however, there was no effort over the required taxes, including amounts in silver and gold, to be paid by ships coming from and going to the Aegean (Lichtheim 1976). For brief discussions on later Ptole- maic attempts to steer gold and silver into Egypt see Emmons (1954) and von Reden (2001). 30 For an overview of fifth- and fourth-century Greek coin hoards from Egypt and the Levant see IGCH 1478-1521; 1632-1663, pp. 200-201, 225-226, and the relevant sections of Coin Hoards I-IX. Kroll (2001) provides an overview of those hoards from Egypt containing ingots and/or Hacksilber in addition to just coins. 3/ Cypriot coinage, which began before the Phoenician issues, is anomalous and might be the result of the Greek presence on the island. For an overview of Phoeni- cian minting see Elayi and Elayi (1993). 38 For a recent reassessment of the long-standing use of these forms of currency in the Mediterranean see the volume edited by M. Balmuth (2001). 39 To date Nicolet-Pierre (1986) is the only scholar who has investigated what might be called the psychological aspects of the Athenian imitations phenomenon, but has done so in a manner too general to be of use here. 34 Peter G. van Alfen course of decades and successive governing administrations to steer away from the Athenian owl as the type for Egypt's large denomina- tional silver coinage. The imitations produced under Persian suzerainty (343-332), those of the Persian king Artaxerxes III Okhos and those of the satraps Sabakes and Mazakes were interrelated and thus can be considered individual elements of one continuous monetary/coinage system. What is less certain, however, is whether any of the other imitative types are related to one another or to the Persian series, thus giving evidence of other or more expansive monetary/coinage systems either predating or continuing with the Persian (re)conquest in 343. In order to elucidate Egyptian minting and monetary systems in the fourth century, it is perhaps best to view the evidence from the chronological end towards the beginning, from the better understood series of coins to the least understood. During the year or so that Mazakes was satrap of Egypt (333-332), he took pains to continue a monetary system inherited from his prede- cessor.40 With the silver Athenian imitations he changed little in the production methods of the coins—e.g., their fabric, weights, and die axes—from those of Sabakes; the primary change, of course, was that his name now appeared on the coins as the issuing authority. His sole surviving fractional bronze issue shows a change in type from that of his predecessor, but the general Persian/Levantine feel of the bronze (and silver) fraction remains constant. The very existence of fractional coinage is a sure sign that the Persian satrap, in conjunction with his treasury staff, had purposely designed a coinage system to accommo- date a considerable range of transactions. At the same time, the plan- ners adopted one of the more sophisticated fiscal techniques then current in the Greek world and the Levant for providing consumers with small change but to the treasury's advantage, namely the use of token bronze coins. Mazakes, as noted, inherited this system, and there is little about it—the regularity and quality in production tech- nique, for example, or the broad conception—to suggest that it was conceived and implemented solely for the war effort against the 10 Nicolet-Pierre's study (1979) of this coinage, and the Sabakes series, provides an in-depth look at the philological issues concerning the two satraps, as well as the relationship between their coinages. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 35 Macedonians.41 Fractions, especially bronze fractions, were meant for local circulation, i.e., local economies, since their inflated value extended only as far as the authority of the issuing body. Although larger-denomination precious-metal issues, like the imitation tetra- drachms, certainly could and probably did play some role in the (inter- national) financing of the defense effort, these coins were only one part of a larger monetary system, and not necessarily one meant to accom- modate only the salaries of soldiers. The system reached its fullest development under Sabakes, who, in fact, may have been responsible for its implementation. No fractional coinage yet has been found associated with the Artaxerxes series, and perhaps none ever will be since that series is in many ways quite unusual, as we will see shortly. One or two non-Persian series of silver fractional coins may have antedated Sabakes (see below), but this satrap appears to have been the first Egyptian authority to introduce in his name a full suite of coins, from large denomination tetradrachms to a variety of silver and bronze fractions. This system was highly organized, at least from the administrative perspective, as the various additional marks and letters on the tetradrachms and fractions attest. Although we may never be able to decipher the specific meaning of these marks,42 we can be certain, given parallels elsewhere, that the marks were related to the bureaucracy behind the coinage, most likely to the accountability of individuals within that bureaucracy. The use of Aramaic on these coins, a non-indigenous language and one point- 11 Kraay (1976: 76) suggests that both the Sabakes and Mazakes series were meant to pay mercenaries. Mildenberg (1998: 282) argues that the Artaxerxes series, which initiated all three Persian series, was not meant to pay mercenaries "but to supply local currency to the province". Not enough is known about the extent of coin use in pre-Macedonian Egypt to posit specific reasons for the production of the various issues; and of course, as Howgego (1990) has notably shown, the reasons could be varied indeed. The use of the word "stater" in several late fifth-century Aramaic documents from Egypt implies coin use at the local level decades before the Persian reconquest (Chauveau 2000; Kroll 2001: 14-15). For coin use in the immediate post- Persian (i.e., Ptolemaic) period, see von Reden (2001) and, in the same volume, Rowlandson (2001). 12 See Nicolet-Pierre's (1979: 226) inconclusive discussion of the marks and charac- ters on the Sakakes series. 36 Peter G. van Alfen edly tied to Persian satrapal administration, reinforces the highly legal- istic and even colonial nature of the series. In fact, there is nothing about these coins that marks them specifically as Egyptian; the only concession apparently to local tradition, if it can be called such, is the continued use of the Athenian owl as the basic template for the larger denominations. Despite the administrative weight behind the series, their execution at the mint stood in need of greater attention to detail. The die engraver(s) was/were clearly talented,43 and the flans, larger and thinner than those coming from Athens, imparted a more attractive overall appearance to the coins since more of the design remained on the flan rather than off. But the weights of the coins, as can be seen in Table 2, were chaotic, and the die axes, while generally at 9:00, show enough variation that we can be sure that die-axis control was not an overriding concern. The weights of the coins are, in fact, a serious problem. While there is a concentration of 23% of the coins for which we have weights at c. 16.75 g, suggesting that the Levantine shekel of c. 8.4 g was the standard in use,44 another 22% of the coins weigh more than 17.00 g, perhaps pointing to the Athenian standard as the mark. Looking both forward and backwards beyond the Sabakes series, the Artaxerxes and Mazakes series would seem to favor an Athenian standard slightly (Table 2). Whatever the intended standard might have been, however, the extreme lack of control in the Sabakes series could indicate more than just sloppiness at the mint. Such poor control is generally attributed to highly stressed conditions, like wartime, when quality standards are lowered in order to quicken the production pace. However, the chaotic weights could also mean that the value of the coin was set by the issuing authority, whatever the actual weight 43 There is a resemblance between the Athena of the Sabakes/Mazakes coins and the Alexander on Ptolemy Fs earliest tetradrachms (cf. SNG Cop no. 19, 29-30); some of these Ptolemaic obverse dies were signed A, an indication that the engraver took pride in his work. Could this man, or others, have worked for both the Persians and the Ptolemies? ''' One reason perhaps why the Athenian owl became so popular in the east was the fact that the tetradrachm of c. 17.00 g was near enough the weight of two shekels (16.80 g) to be used as a two-shekel piece, as Aramaic documents from fifth century Egypt show (Chauveau 2000; see also Bivar 1985: 615; Tuplin 1987: 112). Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 37 (and thus intrinsic value) of the coin might have been. In other words, Sabakes' tetradrachms might have been intentionally and officially overvalued, much like bronze fractional issues, in which case precision in the weights would not have mattered greatly. If this were so, the case for the Sabakes series being intended by the administration to serve as a purely local coinage would be strengthened since the coin's value within the province would be higher than it would be outside.40 This might also explain why so comparatively few of the Sabakes and Mazakes coins have been found outside of Egypt despite what seems to have been, at least for the Sabakes series, a reasonably large produc- tion. Administrative and conceptual continuity between Sabakes' series and that of Mazakes is plainly seen, but between the Artaxerxes series and that of Sabakes it is somewhat more difficult to grasp. In large measure this has to do with the enigmatic Demotic legend found on the coins. Thanks to Shore's (1974) re-reading of the legend its meaning is no longer an issue, but what it is trying to say in sociopolitical and economic terms is still quite opaque. Two problems concerning this legend require explanation: first, in the larger context of the Persian empire, this is the only known series of coins to spell out the actual name of the Great King, rather than simply his title.46 Secondly, within an Egyptian context, this is the only series of coins known that bears a Demotic legend, rather than one in hieroglyphs, Greek, or Aramaic. The combination of these two problems on one coin, and one that is purely imitative, is quite exceptional. While it can be argued that the use of Aramaic on the Sabakes and Mazakes series was due to the administrative and bureaucratic context within which 4d By extension the theory also suggests that the unusual monetary practices of the Ptolemies, specifically their overvalued precious metal coinages and closed monetary system, may. have been inspired, adopted, or adapted from the practices of their Persian satrapal predecessors. For the various monetary manipulations of Ptolemy I, see Emmons (1954). 16 The Persian silver sigloi and gold darics bear no legends at all. However, two series of coins from (southern) Asia Minor, both of which are very likely satrapal issues—the archer series (Mildenberg 1998: 281) and the unique "Tissaphernes" owl imitation (Robinson 1948: 48; Kraay 1976: 74)— bear the legends BA/BA2, without doubt a reference to the title of the Great King. 38 Peter G. van Alfen Table 2. Tetradrachm Weights I. Buttrey Style B (7 coins) Highest-lowest weights: 16.41-17.10 g Average weight: 16.91 g Median weight: 16.75 g II. Buttrey Style M (7 coins) Highest-lowest weights: 16.82-17.09 Average weight: 17.00 g Median weight: 16.94 g III. Buttrey Style X (10 coins) Highest-lowest weights: 16.12-17.09 Average weight: 16.82 g Median weight: 16.60 g IV. Artaxerxes Series (14 coins) Below 16:00 *** 3 16.25-16.29 ** 2 16.30-16.34 0 16.35-16.39 ** 2 16.40-16.64 0 16.65-16.69 * 1 16.70-16.89 0 16.90-16.94 * 1 16.95-16.99 0 17.00-17.04 ** 2 17.05-17.09 * 1 17.10-17.14 0 17.15-17.19 * 1 17.20-17.24 * 1 17.25-17.29 * 1 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 39 Highest-lowest weights: 15.41-17.26 Average weight: 16.56 g Median weight: 16.33 g V. Sabakes Series (41 coins) Below 15.70 ****** 6 15.70-15.74 0 15.75-15.79 0 15.80-15.84 ** 2 15.85-15.89 * 1 15.90-15.94 0 15.95-15.99 * 1 16.00-16.04 * 1 16.05-16.09 * 1 16.10-16.14 0 16.15-16.19 * 1 16.20-16.24 * 1 16.25-16.29 * 1 16.30-16.34 0 16.35-16.39 * 1 16.40-16.44 0 16.45-16.49 ** 2 16.50-16.54 * 1 16.55-16.59 * 1 16.60-16.64 0 16.65-16.69 ** 2 16.70-16.74 ***** 5 16.75-16.79 *** 3 16.80-16.84 0 16.85-16.89 * 1 16.90-16.94 0 16.95-16.99 ** 2 17.00-17.04 ** 2 17.05-17.09 ** * 3 17.10-17.14 ** 2 17.20-17.24 * 1 40 Peter G. van Alfen Lowest-highest weight: 14.97-17.21 Average weight: 16.46 g Median weight: 16.09 g VI. Mazakes Series (3 coins) Lowest-highest weights: 16.45-17.08 Average weight: 16.73 g Median weight: 16.76 g Table 3. Die Axis Frequencies I. Buttrey's Style B (8 coins) 9:00: 75% of total 7:00: 12% 11:00: 12% II. Buttrey's Style M (7 coins) 9:00: 100% of total III. Buttrey's Style X (10 coins) 9:00: 100% of total IV. Artaxerxes Series (11 coins) 9:00: 45% of total 7:00: 36% 11:00: 9% 12:00: 9% V. Sabakes Series (19 coins) 9:00 7:00 6:00 8:00: 68% of total 16% 5% 5% 12:00: 5% Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 41 the coins were produced, such arguments do not seem applicable to the Artaxerxes series. Harrison (1982: 383) has asserted "[a]ll that the demotic legend proves is that the coins were minted under the aegis of Egyptian-speaking officials; it says nothing about the intended recipients". However, there is no evidence that the Persians, under either the first or the second occupation of Egypt, entrusted native Egyptian bureaucrats in the treasury with such oversight (Briant 1988: 163). And, in fact, as the Sabakes and Mazakes series prove, Persian administrative oversight in the production of coinage was quite complete.4' Responsibility for the coinage, especially the design and legend, must therefore lie within a Persian milieu, not Egyptian. As a Persian coin produced and circulated within Egypt, the native legend must have been intended to convey a message quite different from the staid, administrative Aramaic of the latter series. Despite Harrison's arguments, the legend does, in fact, say a great deal about the intended recipients, as well as the relationship between them and the newly arrived Persians. The use of Demotic spelling out "Arta- xerxes Pharaoh" could only have conveyed one thing: an assertion that after decades of failed attempts by the Persians to reconquer Egypt, including two by Artaxerxes himself (in 358 and 351), the Persians at long last succeeded and Artaxerxes was indeed finally pharaoh. More emotion, perhaps, is contained in this legend than in any other of the period, and this force of emotion might help to explain the legend's oddities.48 Briant (1989: 328-329) argues that the right of coinage within the Persian empire had to have come directly from the king; no satrap would have minted without imperial authority. Thus the levels of administration and control in Persian satrapal and imperial coinages ran quite deep. 48 It is odd, as Shore noted (1974: 7), that this is the only example of Artaxerxes' name appearing in any official, inscribed context not in hieroglyphs and not in a cartouche. Demotic, as Shore suggests, was no doubt chosen in order to convey the message to more rather than fewer people. Egyptian literacy, at least for Demotic, seems to have been fairly high (Lloyd 1994: 351). It is also significant that the first Persian coinage in Egypt was not in the name of the satrap installed by Artaxerxes, Pherendates II, as one might expect from the perspective of the Sabakes and Mazakes coins, but in the king's own name. Finally, the series might also be consid- ered in the light of the stories that Okhos brutally ravaged Egypt after his victory 42 Peter G. van Alfen But the meaning of the legend is not the only problem concerning the Artaxerxes coins. Stylistic and administrative progressions appeared to have taken place during the life of the series. A mid- fourth-century transition from frontal eye to profile eye (types I—III) is to be expected in an Athenian imitative series attempting to keep pace with developments in Athens.'19 Stylistic developments in the legend, however, are more difficult to explain. Demotic styles A and B (types I, II, and III) differ only in execution; both are highly legible. In the type IV coins, however, the legend becomes quite illegible, while the newly added Aramaic characters in various fields on the reverse are, conversely, recognizable. These additional characters in Aramaic are the telltale signs of a bureaucracy much like Sabakes'; that Sabakes' symbol appears on type IVd could mean that his administra- tion was in fact responsible for some of the Artaxerxes coins. If this was the case, we can imagine a scenario wherein a triumphant Artax- erxes (personally?) initiated the owl series and his satrap Pherendates continued to mint the coins until Egypt was again lost to the ephem- eral rebel Khababash c. 338. When the Persians returned in 336, Sabakes, the new satrap, briefly continued the series, perhaps only until he could consolidate his monetary plans. The greater emphasis on legible Aramaic control marks, while allowing the legibility of the Demotic to slip,00 no doubt reflects his greater concern for bureaucratic matters than for the Machtdemonstration of a now dead king.51 (Lloyd 1994: 344). Even if they are (mostly) fiction, the tales still portray a man moved by emotion in his triumph. 19 One can also note a similar progression from frontal eye to profile eye in the mid-fourth-century coins of the Phoenician city-state of Aradus. While not directly imitating the Athenian coins, the Aradian engravers nevertheless seem to have been influenced by changes at Athens (Elayi and Elayi 1993: 55). 50 The bilingual (Greek and Aramaic) inscriptions that appear on satrapal coins from Cilicia are generally quite legible (see Moysey 1986: 8). The fact that the legi- bility of the Demotic has been diminished in the Artaxerxes series could mean that the administration was no longer concerned with its message, or that illiterate engra- vers were used. 51 The term is Mildenberg's (1993: 73; 1998: 281-282) who prefers to see a more innocuous message conveyed with the legend than what is argued here. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 43 Turning now to the coinage of pre-Persian Egypt, the unique gold imitation of Takhos is the only solidly attributed coin in the lot. Although his reign as Pharaoh was short, Takhos appears to have been more innovative and aggressive in financial and military matters than his predecessors. Unlike the defensive posture assumed against Persia taken by the other pharaohs of the XXVIII-XXX dynasties,02 Takhos mounted a successful campaign against Persian holdings beyond the borders of Egypt. To finance this enormously expensive campaign into the Levant, Takhos required silver and gold beyond the treasury's store, and as pseudo-Aristotle (Oec. 2.2.25, 37) and Poly- ainos (3.11.5) tell us, he found ways to wring it out of the elite, clergy, foreign merchants (?), and peasants. These taxes and forced loans produced what E. Will (1960: 260) described as a "massive economie temporaire pour la couronne", redistributing stores of precious metals, most of which were destined to be coined and spent (externally?) on the campaign.03 That the one coin we can conclusively identify as belonging to this effort, the unique gold daric, was minted as an Athe- nian imitation with a Greek legend is significant. Since the com- manders of his land and naval forces were hired Greeks, as were a significant portion of his troops, their employ would seem to have influenced, if not the design, then at least the script of the legend. Takhos may not have intended to copy directly the Athenian gold issues of c. 405 BC, if in fact he was even aware of their existence.04 By minting a daric in the general image of a well-known type of coin, rather than faithfully imitating a specific issue, Takhos may have felt 52 For Egypt's posture against Persia in the fourth century see Brescani (1985: 523-525) and Ray (1987: 84-85). 83 Pseudo-Aristotle (2.2.25) is specific about Takhos' preference for uncoined (asemon) silver and gold, which likely means that Takhos, or his Greek advisors, were aware of the profit that could be made by coining the raw bullion. Those who were (forcefully?) encouraged to contribute their bullion stores were directed to the nomarchs for repayment, who no doubt would pay back in the coin of the realm, again with the profits derived from coining going to the pharaoh. 54 The obverses of the 405 BC Athenian gold staters and Takhos' coin are surpri- singly similar; both show the early fourth-century wide-open profile-type eye. However, it is unlikely that many of the Athenian gold coins were still in circulation 40 years later, especially in Egypt. 44 Peteb G. van Alfen the need to place his name on the gold in Greek in order to insure the legitimacy of the issue among the mercenaries. The existence of the gold coin and the literary references to precious metal stockpiles have encouraged expectations that more coins of Takhos remain to be found, particularly silver issues (Dattari 1905: 109). Might one of Buttrey's types be an issue of Takhos? The idea is not particularly far-fetched. No other silver issue has been attributed to Takhos, and the pharaoh obviously did not shy away from minting imitations of Athenian coins. Since, in the case of a silver tetradrachm, he would be directly copying a current Athenian issue, it might not have been in his interest to call too much attention to his coins versus those of Athens; thus, the silver would be issued unmarked and as close in style and manufacture to the bona fide Athe- nian coins as possible. There is little question that for all of Buttrey's styles the Athenian tetradrachm standard of ca. 17.20 g was the intended mark (Table 2; Buttrey 1982: 138); the incidence of die axes at 9:00, also an Athenian trait, stands at 93% for the 26 coins of all styles observed, far higher than the incidence found in the Persian series (45% for the Artaxerxes series; 68% for the Sabakes series).00 Furthermore, as the incomplete tally of known coins above shows, these do not seem to have been particularly small issues, especially Style B. The large number of high-quality tetradrachms in the series, as well as the additional drachms, indicates that the producer was systematic and wealthy, both signs of a recognized, centralized authority. The fact too that a large number of Buttrey's types (most- ly Styles B and M) have been found in hoards in Cilicia and Syria, areas where mercenaries in Takhos' service might have marched and spent their pay, could provide further support for the theory that this Pharaoh issued Buttrey's imitations. There are, of course, several prob- lems with the suggestion. First, the style of none of Buttrey's types is especially close to that of the gold coin. With the exception of style X, which seems as Flament noted (2001: 49), to have been made with some awareness of ao Buttrey (1982:138) noted a similarly high incidence of standardized die axes among the coins from the Karanis hoard. Is the arrow pointing to 7:00 in his publi- cation a misprint for 9:00? Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 45 the Athenian pi-style, the other three styles appear much closer to Athenian fifth-century, rather than fourth-century types. However, as the stylistic evolution in the Artaxerxes series nearly 20 years after Takhos shows, Egypt might not have been tuned into the develop- ments at Athens at the moment they took place. For the silver coins, Takhos' engravers might have had only older or different models to use than those used for the gold dies. The stylistic arguments, admittedly, do not take us far, nor do Flament's (2001: 46-49) suggested dates for the styles: c. 375 for Styles B and M, 375-350 for Style A, and finally c. 350 for Style X. While the arguments for the various dates rest in some cases on infirm foundations, those for Styles B and M, because coins of this type were found in excavated hoards at Al Mina (IGCH 1487, 1488), could be reasonably accurate. This too, however, is far from certain since the excavations at Al Mina leave much to be desired,56 and, perhaps more to the point, there seems to be a link between the Style B obverse dies and those of the type I Artaxerxes series. Flament's (2001: 46) suggestion for this phenomenon—reuse of the same dies nearly four decades later—sounds like special pleading and highlights the need for a critical and wide-ranging survey of the chronology of this and other (pseudo-) Athenian issues. There is no evidence at this point that allows for a more accurate dating than c. 400-350 for all four of Buttrey and Flament's styles, nor is there anything that really ties them closely to Takhos. Although we know, thanks to pseudo-Aristotle and Polyainos, that Takhos' financial scheming was unusual and created an environment ripe for the production of indigenous Egyptian coinage, he was not alone in both his need of coins and his efforts to produce them. In fact, any 56 Elayi and Elayi (1993: 62) suggest a date for the Al Mina hoard, based on asso- ciated ceramics, closer to 400 than to 375. However, the methods of excavation used by L. Wooley at Al Mina, while acceptable by the standards of the 1930s, leave much to be desired by today's. J. Waldbaum (1994, 1997) has recently called into question not only Woolley's dating for some levels, but also his conclusions about the site. Therefore we should proceed with caution regarding anything having to do with dates and Al Mina. That Style B and M coins were found in IGCH 1259, which Newell (1914) dated to the first quarter of the fourth century might also point to c. 375 for these two styles were it not for the problems associated with the hoard and its dating, which Newell freely admitted. 46 Peter G. van Alfen one of the rich and powerful Delta warlords—not just the pharaoh— could have had both the means and the need to produce Buttrey's types.0' For the moment the identification of Takhos' silver issues must await further evidence. The monetary policies of the Persian satraps in Egypt, and Takhos before them, were born of different needs and circumstances which are reflected in the types of coins each produced. Takhos' had an external military campaign to finance, and thus produced large-denomination precious-metal coins. The satraps' focus was tuned presumably more towards local economic and administrative needs, thus the appearance of smaller-denomination silver and bronze issues. The remaining coins to be discussed, mostly silver fractions, were in all probability also intended for local consumption, and so likely reflect an administrative response to local monetary needs. Is it possible, however, to identify the responsible administrations, and can wre determine if a monetary policy similar to that of Sabakes was in operation at any time before the Persians returned to power? The answer is complicated by the great variety of types and symbols appearing on the silver fractions. The Naukratis obol, for example, suggests that the Aegean residents of the emporium had made the collective decision to coin, and to produce coins of low denomination for small (internal?) transactions. Besides the implications that this decision has regarding the definition of the emporium vis-a-vis the (Greek) concept of polis,oS it also has implications concerning internal D/ The characterization of the Delta makhimoi as "warlords" belongs to Ray (1987: 79-80), who also discusses their substantial wealth and need to make payments. Buttrey (1984: 294) suggests that some of his types "are certainly Pharaonic", likely minted in Memphis. nS On the question of coinage, Naukratis and its status see especially Bresson (2000: 75-79). Moller (2000: 189) overlooked this coin in her discussion of Naukratis as a polis (one of her defining criteria for which is local coinage), since she claims that there was no coinage from Naukratis until after Alexander. It is also worth considering whether the "Egypto-Arabian" obols with the amphora in place of the Ihela might also be an issue of Naukratis, or some other group of Greeks living in Egypt, such as at Tel Daphne. The amphora pictured on the coin, as on the asso- ciated countermark, is clearly a Greek type, not eastern. Also see Hill (1917: 9-10) who suggests other, anonymous Athenian imitations might have been minted in an Egyptian "Attic colony". Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 47 finance and taxation within the city, and its financial relations with the Egyptian state. Does this unique coin imply that within the terri- tory of the pharaoh other recognized but lesser authorities, such as incorporated trade emporia and local (tribal) strongmen, were granted, or simply assumed the right to coin? If this was the case, then it would be exceedingly difficult to identify not only which Memphite govern- ment might have been responsible for the anonymous coins, but also which local authority. Those coins with distinctively Egyptian legends and symbols—the uah-series, the nefer nub gold series, and the nefer neb fraction—while perhaps not all products of the same administrative oversight, do share a curious trait that goes beyond the presence of the hieroglyphs them- selves: the meaning of the glyphs. Their meanings—"lasting", "good gold", "all good"—seem focused on the intrinsic value of the coins, either the weight or, more likely, the metallic content. Those minting the coins were concerned with imparting this message in a highly tradi- tional, perhaps even stilted manner; for that reason it is difficult to think of a Persian administrator ordering such legends and coins, yet much easier to imagine Egyptians doing so. One might argue that these symbols, like the Artaxerxes legend, were programmatic: a self- conscious attempt to present purely Egyptian elements in the non- Egyptian medium of coinage, again for sociopolitical reasons. A message like "good gold" on a coin might have seemed quaint to an Egyptian already accustomed to using such instruments, but it may not have been so much what the legend said that was important, but how it was said. During Nektanebo II's comparatively long reign (361/0-343), the pharaoh pursued a cultural program that seems on many levels to have been an attempt to recapture the glories of the sixth-century Saite dynasty (Ray 1987: 82, 84). It is perhaps within this context that we should expect the syncretism of an increasingly widespread Aegean-derived instrument of exchange (i.e., coinage) mated with the most traditional of the Egyptian scripts. While the small denominations of the uah and other unattributed coins could point to an integrated monetary system predating the return of the Persians, the large denomination nefer nub gold series, however, would likely not have played much of a role in such a system and was most 48 Peter G. van Alfen probably a special series created to meet certain exigencies, like the gold series of Takhos.39 Without a more solid date for the nefer nub type it is not wise at this point to speculate just what the circum- stances were surrounding its creation. In concluding this review, the picture that emerges of pre-Macedo- nian coinage in Egypt is surprisingly varied. A number of decades—the exact number is not known—before the Persian satrapal government was re-established in Memphis in the late 340s, coins were produced for the first time in Egypt; but it was not necessarily the central Memphite authority that produced them. Takhos is the first and only (indigenous) pharaoh for whom there is evidence for programmatic minting, a mintage that was instigated for a specific event. At some point, presumably before the Persians (during the reign of Nektanebo II?), attempts were made to accommodate the daily transactional needs of consumers with small change; some of these coinages may well have been local and not sanctioned by the pharaoh. It is only with the return of the Persians that solid evidence for a regularized monetary/coinage system produced by the head of state comes to light.60 Similar systems were being used elsewhere in Persian domains (e.g., Cilicia and Phoenicia) and it is likely that the system, or at least the thinking behind it, was effectively imported to Egypt along with Persian governance, rather than being a simple modification of an existing Egyptian system. We now can return to the 1989 Syria hoard. B. 1989 Syria hoard Egypt played an enormous role in the economies of the eastern Mediterranean before, during, and long after the Persian period. Considerable quantities of foodstuffs, manufactured commodities and cash were funneled through the Delta to all other corners of the ancient world. Throughout most of the Persian period, Athens, as a Melville-Jones (1999), who reviews the evidence for pre-Macedonian gold issues across the Mediterranean, concludes that they were mostly issued in times of dire straits, not as normal currency. 00 Thus von Reden's assertion (2001: 66) that the Persians in Egypt "had not intro- duced coinage in the thoroughgoing manner of the Ptolemies" would not be correct. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 49 center of commerce and, perhaps most importantly, a producer of one of the world's first international currencies, could claim equal billing on the trade rosters with Egypt. Thus, it is not surprising that the two largest components of the 1989 Syria hoard are coins from these two centers. There is actually little that can be said about the probable Athenian component of the hoard. The lack of die links is common among the owls of this period (and those before it) even among those found closer to Athens; pz-style production, though relatively brief, seems to have been on a massive scale. The cuts and countermarks on the probable Attic owls suggest that most of these coins were not fresh arrivals in the East but had been circulating there for a period of time. Some likely passed through Egypt on their way farther east, but what percentage is impossible to say. The Egyptian owls are more informative. If large numbers of high- value silver coins were minted in Egypt, like Buttrey/Flament's types and the Persian owls, it is to be expected that many of them would travel beyond the Delta buoyed by the flow of trade and war. A few Egyptian imitative owls, the ua/z-series and perhaps one of Buttrey's types, went west to Sicily, another handful trickled into the Aegean, but by far the greatest number, on evidence of hoard finds, went to Syria. That there was a considerable flow of Aegean silver into Egypt and the Levant is uncontested; once it arrived, some portion of it was unquestionably melted and restruck into local coinages.61 There is not a great deal of physical evidence that eastern silver (or recast Aegean silver), particularly in the form of these Egyptian and Levantine coins, found its way back to the Aegean, which is especially odd considering the tales of Greek mercenaries in Egypt and the East.62 There is, 61 Among the melted lumps of silver from an Egyptian hoard that Kroll (2001) discusses, is a partially melted Athenian owl (see also van Alfen 2002: miscellaneous owls no. 16). 62 The Spartan general Aegisilaos, for example, is said by Plutarch (Aegisilaos 40) to have returned home from Egypt after his service under Nektanebo II with an astonishing 230 talents (nearly 7 tons!) of silver, the equivalent of roughly 350,000 Athenian tetradrachms. If such payouts, of which there were likely many, though smaller, were composed even partly of Egyptian-made imitations, then it is quite strange that more imitations have not been found in the Aegean. Kroll (1993: no. 8f) noted one possible Egyptian-made owl in the Athenian Agora excavations; at 50 Peter G. van Alfen however, much more (physical) evidence from coin hoards and single finds for a healthy and reciprocal silver circulation between the Levant, especially the Phoenician states, and Egypt. Port taxes paid by private individuals accounted for some of this interregional circula- tion (see n. 35 above), but governments also contributed their share, in the form of payments to mercenaries and other expenditures. Direct evidence for government payments might be found in the 1989 Syria hoard. When a number of die-linked coins are found within the same hoard, the usual assumption is that the coins were minted in the vicinity of where the hoard was buried. For the linked Artaxerxes and Sabakes owls in the 1989 hoard, that clearly was not the case. Both of the Artaxerxes type II coins are linked, as are Sabakes nos. 24b-c and 28b-c. The coincidence of three sets of linked coins in two series found in one hoard over a thousand miles from their mutual place of origin requires explanation; the most logical of which would be that these six coins are the remnants of a payout by the Egyptian satrapal treasury, wherein one would expect to find large numbers of linked issues resting in the coffers together. To these six coins we should add the remaining twelve Artaxerxes and Sabakes issues of the hoard; the evidence of the circulation of these types outside of Egypt is virtually limited to the 1989 hoard,63 so it would not be stretching the case much to assume that the eighteen coins left Egypt together as one lot. We cannot guess at the circumstances of the payment,61 or if the coins were turned over to the payee within Egypt or outside. As the coins continued towards least five more showed up in a hoard found in Piraeus (Oeconomides 1999). Stroud (1974: 169) suggested that a presence of Egyptian imitations circulating in Athens might have been one of the problems Nikophon's law of 375/4 was attempting to address. 03 One Artaxerxes piece and one Sabakes piece were found with the 1973 Iraq hoard (van Alfen 2000: 11). Their presence in Babylonia is likely due to the some- times violent and massive redistributions of precious metals in the east following in the wake of Alexander's conquests. 61 Since the hoard dates to the era of Alexander, the "payment" in question might have been more forced than voluntary. If indeed these coins left Egypt by force, rather than in the context of peaceful trade, then perhaps, as suggested above, the normal circulation of these types would be solely within Egypt. Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard 51 their final resting place, however, the trajectory of their travel, along with that of the other Aegean and Levantine coins picked up along the way, was ever eastward, from the coast inland. How much farther east these coins might have traveled (in the footsteps of Alexander?) had they not been lost, we can only guess. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Before he died Price had turned over his notes and photographs of the hoard, along with those from the 1973 Iraq hoard, to John H. Kroll for further study and publication. Kroll, in turn, passed the material on to me. The owls from the 1973 Iraq hoard have been published (van Alfen 2000). Once again, I thank Kroll for the opportu- nity to work on these collections. Also, I am (again) indebted to Andrew Meadows of the British Museum for providing additional notes and material from Price's work on the hoard, and to Alexandra Halidisz for illustrating the countermarks. REFERENCES Balmuth, M., ed. 2001. 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Chabrias et les finances de Takhos. Revue des Etudes Anciennes 62:254-275. Yardeni, A. 1994. Maritime trade and royal accountancy in an erased customs account from 475 BCE on the Ahiqar scroll from Elephan- tine. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 293:67-78. Plate 1 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 2 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 3 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 5 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 6 Plate 7 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 8 Buttrey/Flament Style B ■my Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 9 Buttrey/Flament Style M Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Buttrey/Flament Style A Example of Folded Flan Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 11 Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Plate 12 Plate 13 I Buttrey/Flament Miscellaneous Nahman's Hoard Owls from the 1989 Syria Hoard Two Unpublished Hoards