A question about Nero's coins.

[lim]

A question about Nero's coins. What caused the closure of the mint in Phoenicia under Nero and the abrupt mass minting of Roman tetradrachms in Antioch?

[lim]

Are these issues related to military companies?

[Al Kowsky]

7 hours ago, lim said:

A question about Nero's coins. What caused the closure of the mint in Phoenicia under Nero and the abrupt mass minting of Roman tetradrachms in Antioch?

The Tyre Mint in Phoenicia didn't abruptly close under the reign of Nero, & kept striking coins through the reign of Macrinus, AD 217-218. Pictured below are two tetradrachms of Caracalla, that I sold long ago.

There were 5 other mints in Phoenicia that were also striking coins long after the reign of Nero. Pictured below is a tetradrachm of Caracalla struck in Akko-Ptolemais, Phoenicia, that's still in my collection ☺️.

PHOENICIA, Akko-Ptolemais. Caracalla, AD 198-217 (struck 215-217). Billon Tetradrachm: 14.33 gm, 26 mm, 11 h. Prieur 1225.

[lim]

Before 60 AD the Tire shekel was issued at the Phoenician mint, and then the tetradrachm coin of Rome began to be issued. And the question was why did they begin to issue the Roman tetradrachm coin? For what political reason?

[DonnaML]

7 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

The Tyre Mint in Phoenicia didn't abruptly close under the reign of Nero, & kept striking coins through the reign of Macrinus, AD 217-218. Pictured below are two tetradrachms of Caracalla, that I sold long ago.

There were 5 other mints in Phoenicia that were also striking coins long after the reign of Nero. Pictured below is a tetradrachm of Caracalla struck in Akko-Ptolemais, Phoenicia, that's still in my collection ☺️.

PHOENICIA, Akko-Ptolemais. Caracalla, AD 198-217 (struck 215-217). Billon Tetradrachm: 14.33 gm, 26 mm, 11 h. Prieur 1225.

And here's one from the reign of his father:

Septimius Severus, Billon Tetradrachm, AD 209-211, Phoenicia, Tyre. Obv. Laureate head right, AYT KAI CEΠ CEOYHPOC CE / Rev. Eagle standing facing upon club right, with spread wings and head to left, holding wreath in his beak; between legs, murex shell, ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞ ΥΠΤΟC ΤΟ Γ.  27 mm., 13.83 g, 11 h. Prieur 1533. Purchased from Nomos Obolos Auction 22, 6 March 2022, Lot 576.*

*Obverse die match to example of Prieur 1533 sold at CNG E-Auction 443, Jan. 5, 2019, Lot 422, ex Freeman & Sear FPL [fixed price list] 1, 1994, A261. Reverse of this coin, including dots in legend, is die match to Prieur 1534 [obverse of 1534 differs from 1533 in that bust on 1534 is draped and cuirassed]. This coin is one of only three known examples of Prieur 1533: this coin, the coin sold by CNG in 2019 (ex Freeman & Sear), and Prieur 1533 itself (ex. M&M FPL 250, Dec. 1964/Jan. 1965, # 95).

Edited December 20, 2024 by DonnaML

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, lim said:

Before 60 AD the Tire shekel was issued at the Phoenician mint, and then the tetradrachm coin of Rome began to be issued. And the question was why did they begin to issue the Roman tetradrachm coin? For what political reason?

My second footnote to this  write-up sort of addresses your question. I'd have to get out my copy of the book to see if the author says more on the subject.

Nero AR* Tetradrachm, AD 60/61 (Year 7), Syria, Seleucis & Pieria, Antioch Mint. Obv. Laureate beardless bust of Nero right, wearing aegis with snake rising up along the side of his neck (see McAlee p. 137 n. 203), ΝΕΡΩΝΟΣ [ΚΑΙΣΑΡΟΣ – ΣΕΒ]ΑΣΤΟΥ (Nero Caesar Augustus) around from upper right / Rev. Eagle** standing on a thunderbolt, head left, wings spread; to left, palm branch upright; to right, Ζ (retrograde) over ΘΡ ( = Regnal Year 7 / Year 109 [9 + 100] of Caesarian era, calculated from 49 BCE). 24.9 mm., 14.596 g. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. I  4181 (1992); RPC I Online 4181 (see https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/1/4181 ); McAlee 257 (ill. p. 137) [McAlee, Richard, The Coins of Roman Antioch (2007)]; Prieur 81 [Michel and Karin Prieur, Syro-Phoenician Tetradrachms (London, 2000)]; BMC 20 Syria 190 p. 174 (ill. Pl. xxi.8) [Warwick Wroth, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 20, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Syria (London, 1899)]. Purchased April 20, 2024 from Forvm Ancient Coins, Morehead City, NC.  

 

*See McAlee Table 2 p. 17, stating that the mean percentage of silver in Nero’s Antioch tetradrachms from AD 59-63 was 79.39% (subsequently declining after the reign of Marcus Aurelius to a low of 10.77% under Trebonianus Gallus).

**See McAlee p. 133 on the introduction of the standing eagle reverse to Antioch tetradrachms under Nero: “In 59/60 there was an important reform of the silver coinage: the standing eagle became the standard reverse type, and continued as such for the nearly two centuries during which Antioch continued to coin this denomination. This change coincided with an increase in the silver content from 9.15 g. in the tetradrachms of 56/57 to 11.63 g. in the new coins. . . . [T]here is little doubt that the eagle tetradrachms struck from 59/60 to the end of Nero’s reign were worth four denarii.” See also id. p. 6, explaining that the “original significance [of the eagle] was as a symbol of Zeus, and it first came into common usage on coinage used in the east on the Hellenistic tetradrachms issued by the Ptolemaic kings. Later, it became the standard reverse type on the autonomous tetradrachms (or shekels) of Tyre, which contained more silver than most other contemporary tetradrachms and were valued at four Attic drachms, which were probably equal to four denarii. The adoption of the eagle as a reverse type on the Roman Syrian silver, under Nero, coincideds with an increase in the silver content of the tetradrachm and the cessation of the Tyrian shekels. Consequently, it is likely that the eagle on the tetradrachm was meant to signify that they were struck on the Tyrian standard, and thereby to indicate that they were valued at four Attic drachms.”

 

[lim]

 

Today I found out that Octavian Augustus issued coins with an eagle in Syria. I also learned that he had made peace with Parthia. And I understand that the so-called Silk Road took place in Syria. And at the same time, Rome allows Phoenicia to issue its own money - shekels. This was most likely done in order to trade with the East. And Octavian's money in Syria may have been a test coinage. Because there are very few of them. After that, Nero forbids Phoenicia to issue its money. And Roman tetradrachms are being released en masse in Syria with an eagle. The question arises, why was the issue of shekels banned? And why did provincial Roman tetradrachms become mass-produced? This is most likely due to the strengthening of the borders in the east. And the appearance of legions in Syria. If this money was used to pay salaries to wars, then why couldn't they pay with Roman drachmas and aureus?

 

 

Edited December 20, 2024 by lim

[AETHER]

I love the Antioch tets. Nice coin.

My Nero..

 

 

[Al Kowsky]

This morning I searched through my files looking for an article I posted on the Coin Talk website in April 2020, that fits well on this thread ☺️: What Happened to the Autonomous Tyrian Shekels ?

Sorry, I wasn't able to attach the file 😒. If anyone has access to the Coin Talk website it can be found there.

 

Edited December 20, 2024 by Al Kowsky

[lim]

And where was this money used? Except Jerusalem.

[lim]

Why were tetradrachms issued?

[Al Kowsky]

 

6 minutes ago, lim said:

And where was this money used? Except Jerusalem.

The Tyrian shekels were used throughout the entire Levant. They were popular & accepted everywhere because of their purity of 96.13%.

Edited December 20, 2024 by Al Kowsky

[lim]

Why did Rome allow the issue of Phoenician shekels?

[Al Kowsky]

In regards to the tetradrachms of Antioch, the Armenians issued tetradrachms made to circulate in Antioch after they defeated the Seleucids in a series of wars.

After Pompey defeated the Armenians, Antioch was brought under Roman control. The Romans issued the first pre-imperial tetradrachms that were copied after the Seleucid issues.

The first imperial tetradrachms were issued under Augustus, & copied the reverse design of the Armenian issues.

As Donna stated, the Eagle became the standard reverse for the Antioch tetradrachms throughout the rest of the series.

 

[Al Kowsky]

25 minutes ago, lim said:

Why were tetradrachms issued?

You can find the answer to that on the Coin Talk article I referenced ☺️.

[lim]

I have read your article, but there is no reason why the Phoenician Shekel Tetradrachma was abolished. Perhaps the abolition of the Tyre shekel was due to the outbreak of the uprising in Jerusalem. Rome decided to take the entire treasury into its own hands.