Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVI 26 Sep 2018
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Cyprus, Lapethos AR Stater. Sidqmelek, circa 435 BC. Head of Athena left, wearing crested Corinthian helmet; Phoenician inscription 'King of Lapethos' before / Head of Athena facing, wearing necklace and helmet decorated with bulls horns, each with crest attached, and bull's ears; Phoenician inscription 'of Sidqmelek' around. Bank of Cyprus 1984-01-26 (same dies); BMC 7-9, pl. VI, 6-8 (same dies); Tziambazis 48 (same dies); Traité II, 1361-3 and pl. CXXXVI, 12-14 (same dies). 10.88g, 23mm, 11h.
Extremely Fine; obv. die worn as usual. Extremely Rare; only two other examples on CoinArchives.
From a private North American collection, outside of Cyprus before December 1992.
Lapethos, one of the ancient kingdoms of Cyprus, was, according to tradition, founded by Praxandros from Lakonia in the Peloponnese. However, the city figures little in recorded history; its earliest kings that we know of were Demonikos and Sidqmelek, who reigned in that order, though not necessarily in direct succession. A change from Greek rulers to Phoenician ones occurred at Salamis around this time, which consequently has seen Sidqmelek characterised as a Phoenician interloper, though Christopher Tuplin (Achaemenid Studies, 1996, pp. 46) observes that all of the coins of Lapethos are inscribed in Phoenician down to the time of Alexander, and fathers with Greek names gave their sons Phoenician names, and vice versa, at both at Marion and Salamis. That being said, Kagan (1994) notes that the "changes in type... first to that used by Sidqmelek and then to the coins of Andr- and Demonicus II is quite extraordinary from a numismatic perspective and indicative of some sort of change". Indeed, the depiction of what we assume to be Athena on the reverse of this and other coins of Sidqmelek is decidedly un-hellenic.
It is certainly possible, given the nature of the ongoing series of revolts and Athenian interventions in Cyprus in the first half of the 5th century which ended in the sudden withdrawal of the Athenians in 449 BC, that a change of government did occur, with an Achaemenid-backed dynasty taking power, before eventually being overthrown or usurped.
Extremely Fine; obv. die worn as usual. Extremely Rare; only two other examples on CoinArchives.
From a private North American collection, outside of Cyprus before December 1992.
Lapethos, one of the ancient kingdoms of Cyprus, was, according to tradition, founded by Praxandros from Lakonia in the Peloponnese. However, the city figures little in recorded history; its earliest kings that we know of were Demonikos and Sidqmelek, who reigned in that order, though not necessarily in direct succession. A change from Greek rulers to Phoenician ones occurred at Salamis around this time, which consequently has seen Sidqmelek characterised as a Phoenician interloper, though Christopher Tuplin (Achaemenid Studies, 1996, pp. 46) observes that all of the coins of Lapethos are inscribed in Phoenician down to the time of Alexander, and fathers with Greek names gave their sons Phoenician names, and vice versa, at both at Marion and Salamis. That being said, Kagan (1994) notes that the "changes in type... first to that used by Sidqmelek and then to the coins of Andr- and Demonicus II is quite extraordinary from a numismatic perspective and indicative of some sort of change". Indeed, the depiction of what we assume to be Athena on the reverse of this and other coins of Sidqmelek is decidedly un-hellenic.
It is certainly possible, given the nature of the ongoing series of revolts and Athenian interventions in Cyprus in the first half of the 5th century which ended in the sudden withdrawal of the Athenians in 449 BC, that a change of government did occur, with an Achaemenid-backed dynasty taking power, before eventually being overthrown or usurped.