jahrbuch numismatik geldgeschichte - Bayerische Numismatische ...

14 J. Elayi, A.G.Elayione bears on the obverse a vertical stroke possibly representing figure one.If the bronze coin is part of a first bronze coinage issue and if the strokerepresents figure one", these two coins can be dated from the end of theperiod. M could be the abbreviation of MLK, already known on 'Elpa'al'scoins12: therefore `MG would mean IYN'L) MILK) G(BL), however themeaning of IYN'L) G(BL) without MLK is not satisfactory. On the otherhand, the hypothesis proposed for GL and GB is very likely: these letterswhich cannot be abbreviations of 'Aynel's name probably represent thename of the city, with two kinds of abbreviations in order to distinguish twoissues. The replacement (for the first time) of the name of the king and theroyal title by the city's name has a political meaning13. Moreover, the purposeof transfering the abbreviation into the reverse is probably not, or notonly, to occupy an empty space, but the space reserved for the royal name.Since this series is characterized by the name of the city, there is anothermore interesting hypothesis for interpreting `MG and `G: 'M GBL,„(assembly of) the people of Byblos". As a matter of fact, the word 'Mfollowed by the name of the city was often used during the hellenistic periodfor indicating the official era of Phoenician cities14.In Byblian coinage, the role of abbreviations has been limited because ofthe presence of complete inscriptions: they have sometimes been added tothese inscriptions, probably in order to distinguish the different issues ofeach king. If the meaning of some of them is not clear, likely hypotheses canbe proposed for the others.TyreThe first series of Tyrian coins with a dolphin on the obverse comprisessome uninscribed coins (unless the inscription is off field) and coins with acomplete (or supposed so) inscription. The following series bearing on theobverse a god on a seahorse comprise uninscribed and inscribed coins,followed or not by a number. The location of the inscription on the obverseor reverse is evidently for practical reasons (Table 2): in the series with thedolphin on the obverse, the large free space above the dolphin was the bestspace for the inscription. On the other hand, when the dolphin was replacedby the god on the seahorse, there was no space left on the obverse and theinscription was naturally transfered into the free field on the reverse. We can" Baramki, op. cit., p. 150, n° 11; BN Paris, Coll. de Luynes, n° 3154.12 Babelon, Traite 112, n° 866.13 In the sense of a weakening of royal power; cf. Elayi, op. cit.14 For ex. KAI 19, 1.8: gLg HMgM gT [SR], „in the 53th year of the people of Tyre";the existence of an assembly of the people ('M 'RS) seems to be attested at Byblos (KAI10, 11. 10, 11).