Phoenicia, Marathos
Dated CY 87 (173/2 BCE)
AE 19mm 9.00g
Obv: laureate and draped bust of Ptolemy VI as Hermes right, with kerykeion over shoulder.
Rev: Marathos standing slightly left, holding aphlaston; date to left.
Duyrat, Ateliers 256-9
Known in ancient times as Marat, and located at the modern-day city of Tartus, Syria, Marathos was the northern-most city in Phoenicia. It was founded in the third millennium BCE, likely by settlers from Arados.
It grew to be larger than its mother city, and eventually received independence in 219 BCE. In 148 BCE, though, it was destroyed by that city and apparently never rebuilt in earnest. Excavations today exist at the site.