Obverse: War galley to l., with oars, row of shields along bulwark; small figure as figurehead on bow; ornament over stern; rudder; above, Phoenician letter b, below, zigzag line of waves. Border of dots. (1)
Dating
Reverse: o between legs of Persian king (or hero?) and lion, which king is slaying; lion stands before king on hind legs to [facing] l.; king, to r., seizes lion by forelock in l. hand and is about to strike with dagger in r. hand; in incuse square. (
2)
Sidon Coin no. 27 in Betlyon's The Coinage and Mints of Phoenicia is described as follows:
Photos courtesy of Bruce Zuckerman.
No other coin described in any Sidonian compendia matches so exactly; this coin is Betlyon's 27. He dates the coin to the reign of Abd'ashtart I, which is logical, given the style and initials.
