jahrbuch numismatik geldgeschichte - Bayerische Numismatische ...

18 J.Elayi, A.G.ElayiThe system of abbreviations and dating of Tyrian coins was therefore intendedto differenciate the issues and only became regular in the last series.The abbreviations possibly represented the initial of the king's name and thenumber that of the regnal year of the issue.ArwadThe abbreviations do not appear on the very first Aradian coins, but slightlylater. Coins with abbreviations alternate with uninscribed coins. There isno complete inscription in the whole Aradian coinage. The transfer of theabbreviation from the obverse to reverse is clearly a function of the freespace in the field (Table 3). On coins bearing on the obverse the long bifidetailed god, there is enough free space for the abbreviation (Pl. 4,5), while thereverse is occupied by the war-galley and different symbols. When only thehalf-figure of the god is depicted, the free field is reduced and the two lettersM' are located on both sides of the head. When the bearded head appears onthe obverse, there is still less space in the field; while the disappearance ofthe symbols accompanying the war-galley leaves much free field on thereverse, offering enough space for the abbreviation.The use of letters M' is constant in all the abbreviations of Aradian coins,except in some rare cases. Because of their long use, they cannot be interpretedas an abbreviation of a personal name. The proposal that M' refersto the initial of the name of the city preceded by the locative prepositionM(N) is not grammatically satisfactory33. Another reading has also been proposed:M(MLKT) '(RWD), „kingdom (or government) of Arwad"34; but ifM' has such a meaning, it is impossible to add a third letter which is probablythe initial of a king's name, as we shall explain later. The interpretation ofM' as the abbreviation of M(LK) '(RWD), „king of Arwad", is likely becauseit would fit with the addition of the initial of the king's name35.The issues apparently became more numerous from the moment the beardedhead appeared on the obverse. It seems then that the minting powerwanted to differenciate the issues: in the series with eye full, there are firstly33 Babelon, Perses, p. CLV; Id., Traite II 2, pp. 505-506; BMC Phoenicia, p. XXIII; the particleL — is used in Phoenician in order to render the expression „belonging to".34 Cf. Betlyon, op. cit., p. 100, n. 51, for the status quaestionis on this particular point.35 E. Babelon, Traite II 2, p. 505, n.l., is wrong when excluding this hypothesis on the groundsthat the abbreviation M' remains after Alexander's conquest, and that a coin can never bearan abstract formula. On the first hand, if the persistence of the abbreviation raises no Problembecause nothing gives us to believe that the kingship was suppressed at Arwad in 333;on the other hand, an abstract formula is sometimes used, for example in the Salaminiancoinage of the Persian period (ba-si-le-wo-se, „king", or abbreviated: ba): Babelon, TraiteII 1, n° 942, 942 bis; 2, n° 1147, 1148; this abstract formula is sometimes followed, like onAradian coins, by the abbreviation of the king's name (ibid., n° 1163).