Typological and Metallurgical Analysis of a Repeated Overstrike on a ‘Lyre Player’ Coin Type Attributed to Samaria

Abstract

The Late Persian-period minting authority of Samaria issued coins with a surprisingly large
number of motifs. As part of the Corpus of Samarian Coinage project several early Samarian
issues were found struck over existing coin types rather than on blank flans. Typological and
metallurgical analysis of a repeated overstrike where a ‘winged Bes’ m‘h was struck over an
earlier ‘lyre player’ m‘h, sheds light on both coin types and the denominational series to which
they belonged. The study provides an important chronological anchor regarding the relative
chronologies of these types and may offer clues regarding the formative phase of Samaria’s
minting authority.