Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 530 4 Jan 2023
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PHOENICIA, Tyre. Volusian. AD 251-253. Æ (26mm, 12.64 g, 12h). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind / Cadmus presenting the alphabet to the Hellenes: Cadmus standing left, holding spear and handing rolled papyrus to the first of three Greeks standing right; murex shell at Cadmus' feet, [ЄΛΛH and KAΔ] in exergue. RPC IX 2019 corr. (four Greeks). Rough earthen brown patina. Fine. Extremely rare, only one known to RPC.
It is generally accepted that the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet around the early 8th century BC, although Herodotus records that the Phoencian prince Cadmus introduced the alphabet to the Hellenes around 2000 BC. This rare and highly interesting issue explicitly names the figures and appears to record the legend as recorded in Herodotus 5.58:
The Phoenicians who came with Cadmus-amongst whom were the Gephyraei-introduced into Greece, after their settlement in the country, a number of accomplishments, of which the most important was writing, an art till then, I think, unknown to the Greeks. At first they used the same characters as all the other Phoenicians, but as time went on, and they changed their language, they also changed the shape of their letters. At that period most of the Greeks in the neighborhood were Ionians; they were taught these letters by the Phoenicians and adopted them, with a few alterations, for their own use, continuing to refer to them as the Phoenician characters-as was only right, as the Phoenicians had introduced them.
It is generally accepted that the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet around the early 8th century BC, although Herodotus records that the Phoencian prince Cadmus introduced the alphabet to the Hellenes around 2000 BC. This rare and highly interesting issue explicitly names the figures and appears to record the legend as recorded in Herodotus 5.58:
The Phoenicians who came with Cadmus-amongst whom were the Gephyraei-introduced into Greece, after their settlement in the country, a number of accomplishments, of which the most important was writing, an art till then, I think, unknown to the Greeks. At first they used the same characters as all the other Phoenicians, but as time went on, and they changed their language, they also changed the shape of their letters. At that period most of the Greeks in the neighborhood were Ionians; they were taught these letters by the Phoenicians and adopted them, with a few alterations, for their own use, continuing to refer to them as the Phoenician characters-as was only right, as the Phoenicians had introduced them.