Les ateliers monétaires de Phénicie du Nord à l'époque hellénistique

Northern Phoenicia is ill known because of the lack of sufficient literary and archaeological sources. Some of the cities of this region have nevertheless struck coins from the 3rd century until the 1st century BC: Simyra, Marathos, Carne and Gabala which formed the main network of the so-called Aradian peraia. The study of a catalogue including 580 silver and bronze coins assembled hereby has enabled the formulation of a number of observations and conclusions. It appears at first that only Arados minted Alexanders throughout the 4th century, contrary to what was currently believed. There exists a common culture at these cities; this is perceived from the deities figuring on the coins. This viewpoint suggests that Northern Phoenicia was linked to the better-known religious evolution of Southern Phoenicia. Until the mid 2nd century, Arados disposed of a political and monetary preeminence; the other cities conserved however their autonomy and this helped create tensions with the island city. In the middle of the 2nd century Arados annexed Marathos and Simyra and reasserted its hegemony over the southern peraia up to the Augustan period