The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

QUAESTIONES CYRENAICAE. 73
B. M. M. 0-65. Wt. 47-3 grs. Also Samian
drachms and hemidrachms (B. M. M. 0-55.
Wt. 19-7 grs.)
Of Nos. 25, 26, and 27, either the reverses are much
corroded or the lower part of the field is off the coin,
but on all there are traces of letters as indicated, on
No. 25 what might clearly be the top bar of an E.
With No. 23 before us, it may be suggested that all
these obverses should be read E . The reverse in-
scription of No. 25 has been read as F V, 47 and referred
to a town Hydrax, a reading superficially supported
by the fact that on No. 26 V appears apparently alone.
But (1) Hydrax is a place unknown save for Ptolemy
and Synesius, and therefore not a priori likely to have
been a mint in the archaic period ; (2) on No. 26, though
no letter is visible save V, the whole length of the field
above the dolphin's back, where there would be room for
the letter E, is off the coin; (3)No. 24 incontestably reads
EV, and is so closely bound by style, type, and fabric
to Nos. 25 and 26 that it must surely issue from the
same mint. All these considerations render it almost
certain that Nos. 24-6 belong to Euesperides, a con-
clusion that would be confirmed if the reading on the
obverse of these coins turns out, as is here suggested,
to be ES.
Nos. 23 and 27 are certainly, to judge by style, earlier
than No. 28. If we may admit the argument from
the succession of types at Gyrene and Barce, where
the various animal and general types appear first,
to be ousted by Zeus Ammon, Nos. 24-6 are also
earlier, though stylistically
47 Hist. Num.' 1
, p. 873, note.
there is little difference.