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.

by Various; Royal Society

J. Mynde sc.

CIX. A Dissertation upon the Phœnician Numeral Characters antiently used at Sidon. In a Letter to the Rev. Thomas Birch, D. D. Secret. R. S. from the Rev. John Swinton, M. A. of Christ-Church, Oxon. F.R.S.

Reverend Sir,

Read Dec. 7, 1758.

HAVING, by the assistance of the Palmyrene numeral characters, lately made a discovery, which may perhaps hereafter be of considerable service to chronology; I could not longer defer, though now deeply engaged in other matters, communicating it to the Royal Society. Nor will the memoir containing this, I flatter myself, be deemed altogether unworthy the attention of that learned and illustrious body. For, unless I am greatly deceived, it will bid fair to ascertain, with a sufficient degree of precision, the Phœnician dates of several antient Sidonian coins, one of which was struck above a century before the birth of Christ, hitherto utterly unknown; and evince the notation of the Phœnicians, at least those of Sidon, when they first appeared, to have been extremely similar to, if not nearly the same with, that of the Palmyrenes.

I.

A small brass coin of Sidon[162], now in my possession, exhibits on the reverse three Phœnician letters, that form the word SIDON, over the prow of a ship, the usual symbol of the city wherein it was struck. This coin, which is in good conservation, I formerly[163] published and explained. The characters however in the exergue, which I could then make nothing of, were not with sufficient accuracy described. This has induced me to transmit you another draught of the same medal, wherein proper care has been taken to remedy that defect. The two first of those characters, though somewhat imperfect, appear manifestly enough to be Schin and Tzade; as the former occurs on the Palmyrene[164] marbles, and the latter on several very valuable[165] Phœnician coins. The others so nearly resemble the numeral characters of the Palmyrenes, that they may undoubtedly be considered as pointing out to us a date. Which if we admit, the Schin and Tzade will seem to be the initial letters of the words צה שנת, THE YEAR OF SIDON, or IN THE YEAR OF SIDON; as the elements Pe and Schin apparently denote שנת פסח, THE PASCHA OF THE YEAR, or IN THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, on the reverse of the famous Samaritan coin of Bologna, published by Sig. Bianconi[166] not many years since. Nor can the phrase, THE YEAR OF SIDON, or IN THE YEAR OF SIDON, intimating the year of the proper æra of that city, be looked upon as repugnant either to the Jewish or Phœnician genius; a similar expression having been used, both in their writings[167] and on their coins[168], about the time that the Phœnician medal before me was struck, by the Jews. That the first of the numeral characters here stands for TWENTY, we may infer from the correspondent one of the Palmyrenes, to the form of which it is by no means unlike. This will likewise be confirmed by the dates preserved on other Phœnician coins, which will be immediately produced. The next, denoting a lesser number, and not representing FIVE, which we find always expressed by minute right lines on the Sidonian medals, must indubitably occupy the place of TEN. 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.