King Gerashtart (Gerostratos)
Dated RY 6(?) = 335/334 BCE 10.35g, 18mm, 10h.
Laureate head of Ba’al-Arwad to right / Galley to right with [Pataikos on prow], above waves; MA G and date (all in Phoenician) above.
Betlyon 29, note 106; DCA 753; HGC 10, 36
Ex collection of Z.P., Austria
Now called Arwad and located in Syria, Arados has a history that stretches back more than four thousand years. One of the major Phoenician cities along with Tyre, Byblos, and Sidon, Arados was actually an island and today it’s the only inhabited island in Syria.
As with the other Phoenician cities, Arados maintained its trading independence through occupations by numerous empires. When Alexander the Great came along, they immediately surrendered the city to him and threw off the yoke of the Persians. Their navy then joined in the effort to reduce Tyre.
Roughly around this time, some evidence indicates that a large Jewish population lived there. Other documents show that the city was among the first Republics and was governed by the people for some time, though it was likely still heavily influenced by the most important traders.
Arados minted the typical Alexander coinage after coming under his control. This coin was minted before that time and depicts a Phoenician galley on the reverse. As with all Phoenician cities, trade was of vital importance to them.