Damascus(?), Syria
Minted under Kleopatra III and Ptolemy X
Ca 103-101 BCE
AE 16.21mm 3.31g
Obv: Diademed head of Zeus r.
Rev: Eagle standing l., flanked by B–a
Hoover “Ptolemaic Lead Coinage in Coele Syria (103–101 BCE)” No. 5
Recently, I came across this lead token and thought I wouldn’t have a chance to attribute it. Amazingly, the type is known. In Hoover’s paper “Ptolemaic Lead Coinage in Coele Syria (103–101 BCE)” he surmises these coins are from the War of the Scepters, fought between 103-101 BCE and probably produced under Kleopatra III and Ptolemy X.
When first found, these tokens were attributed to Askalon, because only the ‘A’ was visible on them (the coin has a B-A, though barely visible on mine). As Hoover details, one of these coins was found mixed with Nabataean pieces, the other in the environs of Damascus, closed in 72/1 BCE.
The War of the Scepters was an extremely complex story that unfolded similarly to Game of Thrones with the following modifications:
There were no dragons, since the budget back then didn’t allow it
People actually died
Essentially, Cleopatra III had two sons. There was Ptolemy IX Lathyros, who ruled Cyprus. Then there was Ptolemy X Alexander I.
Now, anyone who has more than one kid knows that you can’t give one anything without giving the other the exact same thing. Cyprus wasn’t the same as Egypt, and Cleopatra should’ve known better. Well, what did Ptolemy IX do? He waltzed over to the Galilee and kicked the (*#& out of Alexander Jannaios, the Hasmonean king.
This of course led to a panic attack by Ptolemy X, who kept shouting “I want the Galilee! Why does Lathyros get to have Galilee and I get nothing!”
And so, Cleopatra got her forces ready and crossed the border to give her son a spanking. The war was extremely fierce, the countryside was devastated, tens of thousands died, famine and diseases mounted, but surprisingly the major players survived for future seasons. The Seleukid kings Antiochos VIII Grypos and Antiochos IX Kyzikenos made guest appearances.
Hoover believes that Cleopatra III and Ptolemy X had to create this lead coinage in a desperate move to pay their troops. Ptolemy IX, for his part, had to import copper from Cyprus to pay his. They were modeled after Ptolemaic coinage that depicts Zeus and an eagle, but were deliberately generic enough and close enough to Seleukid coinage to be interchangeable in the Seleukid-controlled areas near Damascus, where one of these was found.
The War of the Scepters aired from 103-101 BCE, and presumably these were minted around them. The Damascus coin had a closing date of 72/1 BCE, so we know they predate then. Afterwards, the kings and queens went home and the people began the long recovery in their miserable lives. That lasted until the Hasmoneans started up again…
It is thought these were minted in the vicinity of Damascus, which may explain the lack of any strong Ptolemaic features, so they could be still used in Seleukid territory. As Hoover explains:
“By making these modifications to the original types for the second lead series,
Ptolemy X developed an emergency coinage that would have been immediately
recognizable to the Egyptian forces it was intended to pay, but would not infringe
excessively on the sovereignty of the fragile kingdom of Antiochus VIII.”
Given the history and find spot of Damascus, I’m placing these coins under Damascus until I have better information.