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 Replies: 11 / Views: 2,961 |
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New Member
United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Hi all, I have recently bought three coins in Petra, Jordan from a local seller. I managed to identify one partly but had no luck at all with the other two. The left one seems to be Nabataean, Aretas with Shaqilat, but not sure which coin exactly. The other two (middle and right) I have no clue at all. Any small or big clue or solution would be appreciated. Picture of the coins:   |
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Moderator
 United States
187582 Posts |
 to the Community! |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5238 Posts |
Sorry to sound negative, but I would recommend that you supply us with better pictures. One side of each coin per image, cropped, in better focus, and with a weight and diameter for each one. With such little detail remaining, we need all the help we can get. Edited by oriole
11/15/2021 5:32 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Petra was a trading center covering very many centuries.
Therefore,
it does not necessarily follow that any coin found in Petra was of Nabatean origin.
In fact, ancient Nabatean coins are very scarce in the modern collector market.
There is also the possibility that genuine ancient coins in poor condition may have been brought into Petra in modern times, for sale to the tourist trade.
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Moderator
United States
34393 Posts |
@eqa, first welcome to CCF. Second, I'm going to move your thread over to the correct subforum, but I do agree that having better pics will increase the chances of us being to identify these coins.
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
to the community |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
The best I can offer is that buying antique coins in Jordan or exporting antique coins from Jordan, even common pieces of little market value, is a crime without the express written permission of the Department of Antiquities.
Edited by Kushanshah
11/15/2021 11:29 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Russian Federation
5172 Posts |
Quote:
The best I can offer is that buying antique coins in Jordan or exporting antique coins from Jordan, even common pieces of little market value, is a crime without the express written permission of the Department of Antiquities.  Which is why it's common for local sellers in countries like that to only sell (typically unmarked) fakes. The two coins you're talking about, though, look real to me; they're 4th century Roman bronzes. |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
725 Posts |
The one on the left is Nabatean. Aretas and Shuqailat is a good guess. The two on the right are Roman fallen horsemen bronzes. Probably Constantius II. You seem to have two types - one with the horseman falling forward, the other falling back. Nabataea was annexed by the Roman Empire in AD106, so they are all the sorts of coins you should find in Jordan. The Roman ones look genuine. The Nabatean a little less so. But they're all (very) low value coins even in good condition. You did well to buy genuine coins. When I went to Petra I ended up with lead fakes  Edited by JohnConduitt
11/16/2021 05:25 am
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
725 Posts |
This is probably the Nabatean: Aretas IV Prutah, 9BC-40AD Petra. Bronze, 17mm, 4.0g. Cojoined busts of Aretas laureate and Queen Shaqilath. Two cornucopiae, crossed, Aramaic legend "Aretas, Shaqilath" in three lines (Meshorer 113).This is a fallen horseman, but with Constantius Gallus. Yours have pearl diademes, while Gallus has a bare head, so yours would be Constantius II or Constans (and more likely the former). Constantius Gallus Follis, 351-354 Rome. Billion, 4.0g. Bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust, DN FL CL CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES. Soldier advancing left, right knee raised, spearing fallen horseman with right hand and wearing shield on left arm; shield on ground to right; horseman falling forward, clutching horse's neck, FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO (RIC 268).Edited by JohnConduitt
11/16/2021 05:18 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2213 Posts |
They are very worn and not worth much. I hope you got them cheap.
Edited by livingwater
11/16/2021 08:43 am
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New Member
 United Kingdom
2 Posts |
Thank you all for your inputs, all of them are appreciated.
I got them for cheap indeed, and also found it strange that these people just sell a old coins like these. I understand that these are not in mint condition, dirty and also worn, but would any museum take them as donation or there is no reason to bother with them because there are so many of these?
Thanks
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Replies: 11 / Views: 2,961 |
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Posted 11/15/2021 11:32 am
