PHOENICIA, Arados (Aradus). Bronze, late 2nd – early 1st century BC. Æ

PHOENICIA, Arados (Aradus). Bronze, late 2nd – early 1st century BC. Æ 20 mm (5.87 g, 12 h).

Obv. Turreted and veiled bust of Tyche (city goddess) right; long palm branch behind. Rev. Poseidon seated left on the prow of a galley, holding wreath in extended right hand and trident cradled in left arm; at his feet, Athena standing left, resting spear on shield. Refs. SNG Copenhagen 62-63; Cf. BMC Phoenicia 115-116. Dark olive patina with reddish highlights, attractive high-relief portraits; minor smoothing on high points.

Arados, an island city-state off the Syrian coast, prospered as an independent maritime power by minting distinctive bronzes that celebrated its naval might. Tyche’s turreted crown evokes the island’s fortified skyline, while the palm identifies the prolific date groves on the mainland under Aradian control. The reverse pairs Poseidon, protector of seafarers, with Athena, guardian of ships and strategy, both poised on a war-galley prow: a concise tribute to the fleets that carried Aradian merchants and mercenaries across the eastern Mediterranean during the turbulent last centuries of Seleucid hegemony.