The Missing Coins of Queen Shelamẓion

Abstract

This study addresses the purported absence of coins attributed to the reign of Queen Shelamẓion (76–67 BCE), despite historical accounts of prosperity and military strength during her rule. The possibility that Shelamẓion issued coins through her son High Priest Hyrkanos II is reexamined. Special attention is given to the TJC coin Groups S and T that bear the name YNTN, their typology, overstrikes, and hybrid die combinations. That these issues likely represent Shelamẓion’s missing coinage is suggested, thus affecting Hasmonean mint chronology and focusing on Shelamẓion’s role in coinage reforms and projecting her political-religious authority within her gender constraints.