Kadmos in Sidon: Local Myth in Service of Political Agenda with Comparisons to Parallel Representations from the Same Period in Tyre

Abstract

Sidon first depicted the mythical hero Kadmos in 117 CE, showcasing him — for political purposes — as he is departing the city. I explore why Sidon chose to present the hero at that time, and how and why Tyre later imitated the type under Elagabalus. A new identification of another coin type depicting Kadmos (with legend), suggests that the figure facing him there (reading POE) personified the Punic demos. The scene thus creatively proclaims a Sidonian alliance with the Severans (of Punic origin) as well as presents Kadmos as representative of the Sidonians. Another scene previously identified as Atargatis may depict Kadmos fighting a lion.