Roma Numismatics Ltd
E-Sale 59 11 Jul 2019
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Judaea. Bronze Cultic Talisman. Late Roman or early Byzantine period, circa 4th-6th centuries AD. Menorah / Canaanite moon-deity (possibly Hadad) in the form of a bull figure. Apparently unique and unpublished, but for the reverse moon-deity cf. the basalt stele with an identical representation from Bethsaida, 8th c. BCE., (Bethsaida Stele, Israel Museum). 41.69g, 33mm x 22mm x 13mm.
Condition as seen; dark green patina with earthen concretions.
From a private UK collection.
This fascinating talisman depicts on the one side a menorah, rendered in a style typical of the 3rd - 6th centuries CE, while the reverse depicts a moon-deity in the form of a bull identical in style and form to that depicted on the famous Bethsaida Stele, dated to the 9th-8th centuries BC, which is believed to depict the Canaanite deity Baal or his Syrian equivalent Hadad. For further discussion on the moon-deity depicted on the Bethsaida Stele, see Ilan Ben Zion, New moon takes the bull by the horns (The Times of Israel, 16 November 2013), available online at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-moon-takes-the-bull-by-the-horns/.
Condition as seen; dark green patina with earthen concretions.
From a private UK collection.
This fascinating talisman depicts on the one side a menorah, rendered in a style typical of the 3rd - 6th centuries CE, while the reverse depicts a moon-deity in the form of a bull identical in style and form to that depicted on the famous Bethsaida Stele, dated to the 9th-8th centuries BC, which is believed to depict the Canaanite deity Baal or his Syrian equivalent Hadad. For further discussion on the moon-deity depicted on the Bethsaida Stele, see Ilan Ben Zion, New moon takes the bull by the horns (The Times of Israel, 16 November 2013), available online at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-moon-takes-the-bull-by-the-horns/.