Phoenicia, Gabala
Circa 180 BCE
AE 4.38g, 15mm
Head of Astarte (?) right, wearing polos
Prow of a galley left, date below in Phoenician, “ΓB” monogram plus two others above
HGC 10, 164
Gabala was the modern day city of Jableh, Syria, located between Balanea and Laodikea. Like many cities in the area, its foundation was very ancient – roughly the 20th century BCE. It was part of the Kingdom of Ugarit and then a vassal of the Hittite Empire.
It was mentioned by both Strabo and Pausanias. Pausanias added:
In Gabala is a holy sanctuary of Doto, where there was still remaining the robe by which the Greeks say that Eriphyle was bribed to wrong her son Alcmaeon.
It was an important Hellenistic city. Its amphitheater, still standing, sat 7000 spectators. Its coinage is rare.