Nomos AG
obolos 27 21 Mar 2023
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SYRIA, Cyrrhestica. Hieropolis (?). Caracalla, 198-217. Tetradrachm (Billon, 28,5 mm, 13.88 g, 11 h), 215-217. AYT KAI ANTWNINOC CE Laureate head of Caracalla to right. Rev. ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ ΥΠΑΤΟC ΤΟ Δ Eagle with wings spread standing facing on ground line, head left, holding wreath in beak; between legs, lion's head left. Bellinger -. Prieur -. Seemingly unique. Good very fine.
This unusual tetradrachm of Caracalla is incredibly interesting in that it appears to be completely unknown and unpublished - incredibly rare for these well-documented eastern issues - having between the eagle's legs the mint-mark of a head of a lion facing to the left. There are walking lion mint marks at both Hieropolis and Heliopolis, the latter always in combination with a star, but no known lion's head mint-marks. Bull's heads appear at Aradus, and while we are fairly confident that the lion's head seen here is not simply a poorly engraved bull's head, in addition, the style of this coin does not match Aradus nor does the obverse legend which invariably takes the form of AYT K M... Prier does not record anything remotely similar in the section of his catalogue on "Atypical Coins," so until further examples appear it seems we have a unique and mysterious issue of Caracalla with a hitherto unknown mint symbol, which may or may not be from Hieropolis.
This unusual tetradrachm of Caracalla is incredibly interesting in that it appears to be completely unknown and unpublished - incredibly rare for these well-documented eastern issues - having between the eagle's legs the mint-mark of a head of a lion facing to the left. There are walking lion mint marks at both Hieropolis and Heliopolis, the latter always in combination with a star, but no known lion's head mint-marks. Bull's heads appear at Aradus, and while we are fairly confident that the lion's head seen here is not simply a poorly engraved bull's head, in addition, the style of this coin does not match Aradus nor does the obverse legend which invariably takes the form of AYT K M... Prier does not record anything remotely similar in the section of his catalogue on "Atypical Coins," so until further examples appear it seems we have a unique and mysterious issue of Caracalla with a hitherto unknown mint symbol, which may or may not be from Hieropolis.