jahrbuch numismatik geldgeschichte - Bayerische Numismatische ...

Abbreviations Used by Byblos,Tyre and Arwad 13of the names of the kings written on the reverse4. This is possible a priori5but this interpretation needs to be corrected since it does not take into accountsome of these abbreviations. If letters 7 and 'K6 can be respectivelyinterpreted as the first and the second, and the first and the last letters of `Ozba'aland 'Addirmilk's names, it is impossible to consider Z alone and 'N7as abbreviations of these two kings' names. As far as `Aynel's coinage is concerned,the two abbreviations ' and Z cannot be abbreviations of his names.Three groups of coins were minted under each of these three kings' rule: onegroup without abbreviation on the obverse, and two groups with one or twoletters. The additional abbreviation in the two last groups seems to have beenintended to distinguish the second and third issues from the first one whichwas uninscribed. If 7 and 'K may be abbreviations of `Ozba'al and 'Addirmilk,the meaning of the other abbreviations remains obscure: characterizationof the issue, designation of its function, etc.?All the small denominations of `Ozba'al and 'Addirmilk and some of`Aynel bear a complete inscription. On the other ones of `Aynel, the completeinscription is replaced by an abbreviation on the reverse9. There arefour kinds of abbreviations: 'MG, 'G, GL (Pl. 3,2) and GB. The first and thesecond have been interpreted as abbreviations of 1Z13`L) or IYN'L) M(LK)G(BL), „`Ozba'al (or eAynel), king of Byblos", and the last two as abbreviationsof the name of the city GBL, „Byblos" '°. The interpretation of as theabbreviation of `Ozba'al's name is not very likely, since these coins seem tobelong to `Aynel's coinage. Like some of `Aynel's coins (in particular staterswith ansate forked cross), they bear a circle of large spaced dots andsometimes one or several globules. One of them is a bronze coin and another4 Babelon, Perses, pp. 194-196 (on n° 1355, 'K is to be read instead of 'D; p. CLXVII,Babelon quotes Imhoof-Blumer, Monnaies grecques, p. 441, n° 12: it is a coin of 'Addirmilkand not of 'Elpa'al, with 'N and not 'K); BMC Phoenicia, pp. LXVI—LXVIII; J.W.Betlyon, The Coinage and Mints of Phoenicia (Chico, 1982), pp. 118-120.5 Cases where the same name is engraved on the obverse and reverse are sometimes foundin Greek coins: B. Helly, „Les emissions monetaires de la confederation thessalienne", inRythmes de la production monetaire, Colloque de Paris, 10-12 jan. 1986.6 D. Baramki, The Coin Collection of the American University of Beirut Museum (Beirut,1974), p. 150, n° 10; M. Chehab, Monnaies greco-romaines et pheniciennes du Musee national(Beyrouth, 1977), p. 43, n° 2396.7BN Paris, moulage 1975 (` does not seem obliterated); J. Rouvier, „Numismatique des villesde la Phenicie: Gebal-Byblos", JIAN 4 (1901), n° 640 (Z); Imhoof-Blumer, op. cit., n° 12('N).8 Betlyon, op. cit., p. 120, n° 21; M. Dunand, Fouilles de Byblos 1926-1932, I (Paris, 1939),n° 6292-6307.9 BN Paris, Coll. de Luynes, n° 3152 (`MG); SNG Copenhague, no 133 (`G); BN Paris, excoll.Seyrig, n° 1965/829'7 (GL); Babelon, Perses, n° 1360 (GB). On this subject, cf. J.Elayi, Recherches sur les cites pheniciennes ä l'epoque perse Napoli, 1987, pp. 43-44.10 Babelon, Perses, p. 196; BMC Phoenicia, pp. LXVIII, 96; Betlyon, op. cit., p. 121.