4th Century B.C. Phoenicia Byblos Silver 1/16 Shekel

Affordably own a 4th century B.C. coin from the famous metropolis of Byblos – among the world's oldest cities and continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years! Located on the coast of modern-day Lebanon in the region that became the Holy Land, Byblos has been controlled through the ages by Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Christians and more. Due to its extensive trade in the writing material papyrus, the Greeks used the name of the city in their word for books (biblio) – and the Greek term for "the Books" (Te Biblia) was the word origin of "the Bible."

The obverse of this well-preserved silver 1/16 shekel features a war galley with a hippocamp swimming below, while the reverse depicts a lion attacking a bull. This 2,300-year-old fractional issue of a well-known denomination will add great historical interest and intrigue to your collection. Reserve yours today!