Temple of Jupiter at Heliopolis (Baalbek)

306, Lot: 290. Estimate $150. Sold for $320. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

SYRIA, Coele-Syria. Heliopolis. Divus Septimius Severus. Died AD 211. Æ (24mm, 11.76 g, 12h). Struck AD 211-212. Laureate and draped bust right / Bird’s eye view of the temple of Jupiter Heliopolitanus. Sawaya 428 (D87/R170); BMC 4. VF, dark green patina under earthen depsoits.

Located in the Beqaa Valley of modern-day Lebanon, the site of Heliopolis has been occupied since circa 2000 BC when the Phoenicians, settling the area, built a temple to Baal there. Refounded as Heliopolis in 15 BC, the city became renowned for its large complex of ornate temples. Constructed over the course of two centuries, they were dedicated in the time of Septimius Severus to Jupiter Baal, known also as Zeus Heliopolitanus, Venus Ashtart, and Bacchus-Dionysus. The popularity of this complex was further celebrated in the numerous issue struck by the city under subsequent emperors. The ruins, which have been excavated in modern times beginning in the nineteenth century, are well-preserved and are some of the most recognizable features of antiquity.