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SAMARIA, Samarian-signed Series. Circa 375-333 BC. AR Obol (8mm, 0.81 g, 10h). Helmeted head of Athena right / Owl standing facing, wings spread; Aramaic Š N flanking. Meshorer & Qedar 87; Sofaer 31. Toned, some find patina. VF. Exceptional reverse. Rare.
From the Dr. Jay M. Galst Collection, purchased from Herb Kreindler, 25 July 2001.
Around 900 BC, Omir, the king of Israel, founded Samaria as his new capitol. The "watch mountain" guarded several strategic passes in the north, and soon became the most prosperous city in the region. The first phase of its existence ended with the Assyrian conquest of 721 BC, when the Israelite population was deported to Babylon, to be replaced by a mixed community of Chaldeans, Syrians, and Arabs. When the Israelites returned with the Persians after 539 BC, they settled into a diffuse cosmopolitan city, with numerous pagan temples and cults, the most significant being those of Baal and Astarte. Surrounded by these disparate foreign influences, the Samaritans evolved into a distinctive Jewish sect that survives to the present day in small towns at the foot of their sacred mountain, Mt. Gerizim.
The Samaria Hoard and other recent finds in the region have revealed an amazingly complex coinage that was unknown until the last decade. Both Samaria and Judaea produced a fractional coinage in the 4th century BC, reproducing Greek and Persian types with legends naming the province. However, Samaria went well beyond the standard types, using types with Persian kings and deities, animals fantastic and natural, other Semitic types, as well as traces of Greek mythology.
The final winners of all Triton XXV lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 11-12 January 2022. Triton XXV – Session Two – Greek Coinage (Part 2) through Roman Provincial Coinage will be held Tuesday afternoon, 11 January 2022 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 22.50% for all others.
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