Ancient Coin Stories

Pharaoh Pepi I of Egypt mentions Byblos in texts, reflecting ongoing trade relations.

Egyptian Pharaoh Senusret III continues relations with Byblos, with inscriptions confirming Egyptian influence in the city.

Thutmose III of Egypt takes Arados on his Syrian campaign.

Byblos appears in the Amarna Letters, diplomatic correspondences from this period, reflecting its role in the regional politics of the Late Bronze Age.

Arados, Byblos, and Sidon are pillaged by “sea peoples”.

Ahiram (Ahirom), a Phoenician king of Byblos, is buried in a sarcophagus with one of the earliest known inscriptions in the Phoenician alphabet.

The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser I records that he sailed in boats of Arados.

Ashurnasirpal II of Assyria makes Arados, Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos tributaries.

Traditional founding date of Carthage by Phoenician settlers from Tyre, led by Queen Dido (according to legend).

The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III conquers Manbog. Byblos becomes a tributary.

Byblos, along with Tyre, Sidon, and Arados, become vassal states to the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib.

Ashurbanipal of Assyria forces Arados under King Yakinlu to submit and give one of his daughters to his harem.

Byblos, Tyre, Arados, and Sidon are under Neo-Babylonian control after the fall of the Assyrian Empire, becomes part of Nebuchadnezzar II’s territories.

Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, establishing Persian control over the former Babylonian Empire, which includes the Phoenician cities of Arados, Byblos, Tyre, Edom, and Sidon.

Cambyses II, son of Cyrus the Great, uses Phoenician naval support, including ships from Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos, for his conquest of Egypt.

Arados, Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon continue to contribute ships and resources to the Persian navy under Darius I, playing a key role in the Persian military preparations for the Greco-Persian Wars.

Aegina plays a significant role in the Greek naval victory against the Persian Empire in the Battle of Salamis. Byblos, Arados, Tyre, and Sidon support Darius. Chalkis supports the Greek effort. Alexander I serves as a peace negotiator on behalf of the Persians.

Arados and Byblos face internal unrest as various local rulers assert their influence under the overall control of Persia. Tyre and Sidon maintain loyalty to Persian rule during this period, continuing their contributions to the Persian navy.

Sidon rises in rebellion against Persian rule under Artaxerxes II. The rebellion is initially successful, but Artaxerxes III eventually suppresses it after Sidon is besieged and captured. The city’s destruction and subsequent punishment mark a decline in Sidon’s prominence.

Approximate date of the founding of Caesaria Maritima by Straton I of Sidon. The original name is Straton’s Tower.

Another major rebellion erupts in Sidon against Persian control, led by Tennes (Tabnit), the king of Sidon, who initially receives support from Egypt and Cyprus. However, Artaxerxes III besieges Sidon and defeats the rebels. The Persians destroy Sidon in retaliation, leading to a massacre where thousands of Sidonians die.

Artaxerxes III Okhos sends his satraps Belesys and Mazaios to retake Sidon, Tyre, and Byblos. The Persians are defeated by the Phoenicians, supported by Nektanebo II and Mentor of Rhodes.

Autophradates leads the Aegean fleet of Persia under the supreme command of Memnon of Rhodes. Azemilkos of Tyre accompanies him.

Sidon, Byblos, and Arados submit to Alexander the Great as he travels through Phoenicia.

Androkles of Amathos, Pnytagoras of Salamis, and Pasikrates of Kourion join Alexander the Great at the Siege of Tyre, where their qinqueremes are destroyed.

Alexander the Great completes the Siege of Tyre. 6000 soldiers are killed in the city, 2000 Tyrians are crucified on the beach, and 30,000 are sold into slavery. Their leader Azemilkos is pardoned but deposed.

Antigonos I Monophthalmos Declaration of Tyre grants autonomy to all Greek cities. While its effects weren’t the same everywhere, it allowed Delos to regain control of its Temple to Apollo from Athens.

Byblos, Tyre, Sidon, and Arados become part of the Ptolemaic Empire following the division of Alexander’s empire, aligning with Egypt.

Arados removes its royalty and becomes a free city in the Seleukid Empire.

Antiochos II Theos of the Seleukid Empire fights the Second Syrian War against Ptolemy II Philadelphos of Egypt. Arados takes the side of Antiochos.

The Ptolemaic Kingdom takes vast territories as a result of the Third Syrian War against the Seleukids. Tyre, Byblos, Sidon, Mallos, Soloi, Tarsos, and Aigai come under Ptolemaic control.

Byblos, Arados, Tyre, and Sidon fall under Seleukid control after the Battle of Panium, as the Seleukids gain dominance in the region.

Pompey incorporates Byblos, Arados, Sidon, Yehud, Edom, and Tyre into the Roman Republic as part of the province of Syria following Rome’s annexation of the eastern Mediterranean.

Marc Antony comes to Arados in search of money and is vigorously opposed.

Byblos, Arados, Sidon, and Tyre are formally incorporated into the Roman Empire upon Augustus’ consolidation of the region, gaining status as a Romanized city.

Roman emperor Vespasian honors Byblos for its loyalty during the Jewish Revolt, providing certain privileges to the city.