Sidon, AE22, bronze, minted 1st century BC

Sidon, AE22, bronze, minted 1st century BC, weight 7.5 g, diameter 22 mm. Obverse: Turreted bust of Tyche facing right, anepigraphic. Reverse: Astarte standing left on galley left, holding tiller and stylis, anepigraphic. Strike: Centered, with complete details visible on both obverse and reverse. Toning: Uniform dark brown patina. References: BMC 132–3; HGC 10, 293. This coin type was issued in Sidon, a major Phoenician city, during the 1st century BC. The obverse figure, Tyche, represents the tutelary deity of the city, depicted with a mural crown symbolizing its fortifications. The reverse shows the goddess Astarte, a principal deity in the Phoenician pantheon, standing on a galley, a common motif referencing Sidon's maritime importance in Mediterranean trade and naval power. The imagery reflects Sidon’s dual identity as both a fortified urban center and a seafaring power. These civic bronze coins circulated locally and regionally in the eastern Mediterranean during the late Hellenistic period.