Veiled and draped bust of Berenike II right / mrth (in arameic) to right of Marathos, standing left, leaning on column, holding aphlaston, date in left field (in Phoenician number, year 106 = 154/153 BC). 22mm, 10.42 grams. Marathos mint. BMC 12.

Scarce.

Marathos (also spelled Marathus) was an ancient Phoenician city. Established by the Phoenicians as early as the second millennium BCE, Marathos became an important coastal settlement and trading hub due to its proximity to maritime routes and fertile hinterlands. It maintained close cultural and economic ties with other major Phoenician cities such as Byblos and Sidon. During the Hellenistic period, Marathos came under the influence of the Seleucid Empire, and tensions with nearby Arados (Arwad) are noted in historical records. Though it eventually declined, Marathos played a notable role in the regional dynamics of Phoenicia and the eastern Mediterranean.