Ancient Coin Stories

Tyre is founded according to Herodotus. Some archeological data backs this up.

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.

Sidon is part of the Egyptian empire and is ruled by Zimredda.

Tyre is under Egyptian control.

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”.

Tyre achieves independence from Egypt.

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.

Hiram I becomes King of Tyre, leading the city to great prosperity.

Hiram I of Tyre aids in the construction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.

Presumed death of Hiram I of Tyre.

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

Much of Kition is rebuilt by settlers from Tyre.

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.

The neo-assyrian king Shalmaneser V besieges Tyre.

Cyprus, including Salamis, Amathos, Paphos, Soloi, Lapethos, Kourion, and Kition, liberates itself from the domination of Tyre.

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

King Abdi-Milkutti of Sidon rises up against the Assyrians.

Sidon is taken by the Assyrians after a siege, Abdi-Milkutti is decapitated and some of Sidon’s treasure is taken to Tyre.

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

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

Eshmunazar I founds a dynasty in Sidon.

The siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar II is given up in failure.

Death of Eshmunazar I of Sidon. Tabnit I becomes king.

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.

Death of Tabnit I, whose sarcophagus was found with his body perfectly intact in 1887. Eshmunazar II becomes King of Sidon.

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

Premature death of Eshmunazar II, whose sarcophagus today is displayed in the Louvre. His son Bodashtart becomes King of Sidon.

Death of Bodashtart of Sidon. He had restored the Temple of Eshmun. His heir Yatonmilk becomes king.

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.

Death of Yatonmilk of Sidon. Anysos becomes king.

Aegina plays a significant role in the Greek naval victory against the Persian Empire in the Battle of Salamis. Byblos, Arados, Tyre, Halikarnassos under Artemisia, Kos, and Sidon support Darius. Chalkis and Kythnos support 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 under Gerostratos submit to Alexander the Great as he travels through Phoenicia.

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. Gerostratos of Arados presumably plays a part.

Alexander III deposes Straton as king of Sidon.

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

The flagships of Pnytagoras of Salamis, Androkles of Amathos, and Pasikrates of Kourion are destroyed while anchored in the harbor of Tyre.

Mallos gives ships to aid Alexander III in the Siege of Tyre.

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.

Antigonos Monophthalmos besieges Tyre.

Tyre is taken by Antigonos Monophthalmos after a year.

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

Tyre becomes a republic.

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.

Hannibal escapes to Tyre from the Romans.

Alexander Balas gives Tyre the right to asylum.

Demetrios II Nikator is defeated at the Battle of Damaskos by Alexander II Zabinas. He is then captured and killed on a ship near Tyre. Alexander II takes the Seleukid throne.

Tyre obtains its independence from the Seleukids.

Tyre adopts its own calendar.

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.

Sidon shelters many Jews during the revolts and saves them from being killed.

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

Hadrian bestows Tyre with the title of Metropolis.