The most remarkable coins of Cyprus are the gold and silver with the heads of Zeus and Aphrodite commenced by Evagoras, B.C. 330, and continued by his successors. Those of Amathus with a ram, arsil Soli with Astarte. In Lydia, the principal coins are eistophori, of Sardis and .Tralles, and numerous imperial coins. Phrygia is chiefly remarkable for the ciatophori of Apamea, Laodicea, and a series of imperial coins. Of Galatia there are bronze coins of some towns of imperial times, and of the kings, Deijotarus, the friend of Cicero, and Amyntas, B.C. 36-25. Cappadocia is chiefly remarkable for the imperial mints at Gsesarea, which struck in all three metals, with the por traits of the emperors and the mountain Argleus ; and the tetradrachms, clidrachms, and drachms of the kings Ariarathes and Ariobarzanes, lac. 220-17. The coins of a few kings and Tigranes are the only ones that can be referred to Armenia. Of the Syrian kings there is a long series in all metals, but chiefly tetradrachms, commencing with Seleucus I , s c. 312, and terminating with Antiochus XIII., lac. 60. These have generally on one side the head of the monarch bound with a diadem, and on the other Apollo on the cortina. The most remarkable are the tetradrachms of Seleucus I., representing him in a triumphal car drawn by elephants; the staters and tetradrachms of Tryphon having on the reverse a helmet with a horn ; the unique coins of Cleopatra, mother of Antiochus VIII. ; those of Antio chus VIII , with the reverse of the tomb of Sardanapalus at Tarsus. All these coins have indications of the cities where they were struck ; they are of great beauty but difficult to assign to the proper princes. Thera is a coin of lotape of Conunagene with her head and scorpion, struck n.e. 70-40. Of "Antioch the Great" there are autonomous bronze coins, with Zeus, the tripod, and the Pompeian fere; then the imperial coins, with the celebrated statue of the city on the reverse, and autonomous coins with the Actian sera, with a lyre, ram, and sun and moon ; finally, imperial tetradrachms with the Crum-len and Actian :eras, from Ceiba to Volusian, and copper of the Roman colony with S.C. on the reverse, from Antoninus Pius to Valerian. The coins of Apamea have an elephant, but of Laodicea there is a tetradrachm with the head of the eponymous Amazon, and Zeus Nieephoros. Of Damascus there are both autonomous and imperial coins; some of King Aretas, with the head of Cybele, or Dionysus, and a deer. Berytus has silver with the same head and a deer. Sidon has tetradrachms with the portraits of Antiochus IV., a ship. and Astarte, and bilingual copper. Tyre has coins with the head of the Seloucids, from Antiochus IV. to VIII.. the eagle, or the Tyrian Hercules. Aradus, tetradrachins, with the head of the city and a Victory.
The coins of Judson do not date earlier than Simon Maccabseus, p.c. 144-135, who issued shekels of silver with the manna pot, and Aaron's rod, the beautiful gate of the temple, and inscribed in Samari tan characters, with 'Jerusalem the Holy,' and ' the shekel' or ' half shekel of Israel,' and the year of his' reign, or the liberation of Israel.' The subsequent monarchs, such as Herod Antipas, B.C. 4-39 A.D., and Herod the Great, and Agrippa II., issued copper lepta, the widow's !bites, the Romans having taken away the right of coining silver. The coins of Arabia, Mesopotamia, and of the kings of Edessa have little interest. Those of Timarchue, king of Babylon, Lc. 164.62, are rare.
The serial of Parthian coins consists of tetradrachms, drachms, obeli, and copper coins ; the drachms comnience with 'truces II., n.o. 253, and terminate with Vologeses V., A.D. 227, their maximum weight is S I gra. Their normal type, the head of the monarch in a tiara with the Scythian Apollo. The tetradrachins commence with Ammar VI., or I'hrahates I., n.c. 181, and continue in their series, their maximum weight is 222 gra., their types are rather more diver sified, having the king seated, Victory, lierculee, Fortune. The brass
coins commence with Arsacce III., or Artabanes, B.C. 216. Their types are still more varied. These coins have on them the date of the year, and the name of the month in which they were struck. In Persia, the early Achemenidre struck both the gold and darics. The later Saesanithe struck a series of coin of flat character, having on one side their bust in oriental attire, and on the reverse a fire altar, at first accompanied with Greek, and afterwards with PohIvi inscriptions, commencing with Artaxerxes I., A.D. 223, and ending with Choeroes 1., A.D. 579. Bactria, the present Cabul, has coins of a dynasty of princes unknown to Lister'', commencing with tetradrachms of Diodotus I., B.C. 250, and liuthydeinusor c. 245, Eueratides, n.c. ISO, and continuing till Mayes, n.c. 95. The coins of these princes are struck on the Greek standard and model, and have allegorical legends with Bactrian inscriptions. These coins are succeeded by those of Parthian princes, commencing with saxes and Mayes, of square shape, principally didrachms, and with Arian legends, and end with the ludo Scythic gold coins of Kedphisest, B.C. 85, and Kanerki. A.D. 40, with a figure of the monarch, the god Mithras, and the bull Nandi. Of the chameene there are only the coins of the monarch Monocses.
A series of coins with Phecuician inscriptions, were struck by the Satraps of Persia in Syria, Phoenicia, and Asia Minor, Palestine, and Cyprus, besides which, the kings of Phoenicia and Gebel struck coins with Greek types and Phoenician inscriptions (De Luynes,' Nruniarnat. des Satrap,' 4to., Paris).
The come of Egypt are a remarkable series, commencing with the Aryandics. The Lagidse have a long series of fine didrachms, tetra drachms, drachms, and staters, and tetrastaters, and pentadrachins. The normal type is the head of the monarch on one side, and on the other, an eagle or cornucopia, with the name, sometimes titles of the monarch, adjuncts and monograms of the cities of Syria, Cyprus, and Egypt, in which they were struck. Great difficulty is however felt about the assignment of many of the coins. The most remarkable pieces are the gold of Suter, with Alexander'e body transported in a quadriga of elephants, those with the heads of Soter and Berenice on one side, anclYbiladelphus and Arsiniie on the other, the large gold and silver series of Arsinoc. There are only copper and silver of Cleopatra and Antony. The brass currency, apparently adjusted to the brass talent, has remarkably large pieces, and aubmultiples of small size, generally with the head of Jupiter Ammon and one or more eagles. The coins of the Ptolemies are well executed, and of great beauty and interest.
The Romans adopted, on their conquest, the system of the Ptolemies, and the use of the Greek language, striking didrachms of a base silver, with the head of the emperor accompanied by his titles on one side, and on the other allegorical figures copied from the Roman coins, with the date of the year in which they were struck, offering an important series fer the chronology of Rome. These didrachms commenced under Tiberius and Nero, and continued till the Antonines; more alloy was used under Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. From Septittrius Severus to Gallienus more potin was employed, and the didrachms give place to the last, and become rare after Callienus. From Aurelius to Diocletian only copper of small size but thick were in use. After the revolt of Firmus, A.D. '272, the mint was left at Alexandria, and continued till the close of the Lower Empire, but Latin legends were introduced on the coins a.n. 296. The copper coins are the large brass, or tetra drachms, of about 290 grs., the second brass, or olidmchin, of 136 gm., the drachm of about 63 gra., adopted on the standard of the Roman brass. The coins of the nomes commence the 12th year of Trojan, and end the 8th of Antoninus ; they have the 16gends, deities and sacred animals of the nomes.