[CEBACTOC], Laureate head right // ACKAΛΩ; war-god Phanebal, standing left, holding harpa (?) in right hand and small round shield and long palm branch in left hand; ΘϹ to the right (date - year 209 of Ascalon era = 105/106 CE). 20mm, 9.76 grams. Ascalon (Ashkelon) mint. De Saulcy 2, BMC 159.

Rare.

Ascalon was an important ancient Philistine and later Phoenician port city located on the southeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in what is now modern-day Israel. Inhabited as early as the Bronze Age, Ascalon became a major center of trade and culture due to its strategic location between Egypt and the Levant. During the Philistine period, it was one of the five key Philistine city-states. It later came under the control of various empires, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, each of which left their mark on the city's development. Under the Romans, Ascalon flourished with grand public buildings, a forum, and an amphitheater. It remained significant through the Byzantine period before declining in the early Islamic era. Ascalon’s long and layered history reflects its role as a crossroads of ancient civilizations.