Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part II. For the year 1758.: Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.Various
History
Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part II. For the year 1758.: Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.
Various
Science -- Periodicals
The six following strokes, after what has been just observed,
will be acknowleged to add SIX to the foregoing numbers; so that the
inscription in the exergue will no longer remain a mystery, the whole
only importing, IN THE YEAR OF SIDON XXXVI.
II.
I have three other coins of Sidon[169], of almost intirely the same
type; only one of them exhibits a date in Greek numerals, and two bear
Phœnician dates. The Greek numerals are EOT, CCCLXXV; and the Phœnician
correspond with the numbers CXX, CXXVII, to both of which are prefixed
the above-mentioned initial letters. We meet with draughts of two
similar medals in[170] Arigoni, adorned with characters, expressing the
numbers CXXVIII, CXXX. All these coins present to our view a turrited
head and a branch of palm, pointing out to us the country to which they
belong, and on the reverse the usual symbol of Sidon. The year handed
down to us by the Greek date EOT, is the 375th of the æra of Seleucus;
and those denoted by the Phœnician numerals answer to the 120th, 127th,
128th, and 130th, of the proper æra of Sidon, as will be hereafter more
fully evinced. Hence we may certainly collect, that these pieces were
struck at Sidon in the years of CHRIST 11, 18, 19, 21, and 64.
III.
Three coins of Sidon, different from the former, occur in[171] Sig.
Haym, and seven[172] more in my little cabinet, whose type is
altogether the same, with Phœnician dates, preceded by the two
aforesaid initial letters, upon them. To which we may add five,
preserved in the noble[173] cabinet bequeathed to Christ-Church,
Oxon. by Archbishop Wake, and another in the valuable collection of
the Rev. Dr. Barton[174], Canon of the said collegiate church, and a
worthy member of this Society. On one side these medals all exhibit
the head of Jupiter, and on the reverse the prow of a ship, the common
symbol of Sidon. Most of them had various Phœnician letters at first
imprest on the upper part of the reverse, and one of them (which is
pretty remarkable) nearly the same characters there that appear in
the exergue. The first of the coins mentioned here was struck in the
year of Sidon 5. This has been perfectly well preserved, and is more
curious than any of the rest; which were emitted from the mint at Sidon
in various years of the proper æra of that city, _viz._ the 107th,
108th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 114th, 115th, 116th, 117th, and 119th. We
meet on none of these medals with the figure denoting TWENTY, used
by the Sidonians, during the period I am now upon. It not a little
resembles that which prevailed at Tadmor[175] in the reign of the
emperor Claudius, about forty-nine years after the birth of CHRIST. The
most antient of the Phœnician coins I am now considering preceded the
commencement of the Christian æra 104 years, and is consequently 153
years older than the earliest Palmyrene inscription that has hitherto
come to our hands[176].
IV.
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