Lebanon and the Greek World 333 to 64 B.C

Description

LebanonPostcard presents the book Nina Jidejian – Lebanon and the Greek World 333 to 64 B.C. illustrated by Coins in the Michel Eddé Collection – Le Liban et Le Monde Grec 333-64 Av. J.C. illustré par des Monnaies de la Collection Michel Eddé. Hardcover book with Jacket, 29×22.5 cm, 145 pages, book in English and French. (Old Book but still very new)

With the establishment of the Hellenistic monarchies on the ruins of Alexander the Great’s empire, the beginning of royal portraiture takes place. A gallery of royal portraits are produced on coins by skilled die-engravers with the effigies of kings and queens. Ptolemies, Seleucids, kings of Armenia, imposters, pretenders and usurpers of the throne file by, one by one, before our astonished eyes. Representations of the traditional deities are now relegated to the reverse of coins as each dynasty adopts a tutelary god.

The gold and silver coins in the prestigious Michel Eddé collection eloquently illustrate this period, the Hellenistic Age. Not only are the coins outstanding for their quality (extremely fine or un-
circulated) and their choice but several are one of a few existing specimens in the world or are unique. A number of the Seleucid coins were formerly in the famous Arthur Houghton collection which was put up for sale in Los Angeles in 1987 and are exceptionally fine and of great historical significance.

Thus the coins of the Michel Eddé collection vividly bring to life the tumultuous history of this period in Lebanon and the East Mediterranean world while casting additional light on the character and ambitions that motivated each actor in this dramatic human conflict.

These coins have been patiently collected during the course of many years by Michel Eddé who has traveled to many countries in an attempt to bring together the most rare and well preserved coins of the Greek and Hellenistic periods. He has been motivated, as a collector, by his deep interest in the interaction of Greek civilization with that of the eastern Mediterranean world.

Numismatics, the study of coins, has been a field until recently restricted to the specialist and the collector. These precious savings of the past, buried deep in the ground for safekeeping, turn up today under the archaeologist’s spade and yield fascinating information not only for the scholar but also for the general reader as well.

Nina Jidejian is the author of Lebanon, its Gods, Legends and Myths illustrated by Coins (1987) as well as several other works published by Dar el-Machreq, Beirut: Byblos, Tyre, Sidon, Beirut and Tripoli in the Through the Ages series (1968-1980), Baalbek-Heliopolis, “City of the Sun” (1975), and The Story of Lebanon in Pictures (1985).

The author in this volume attempts to make each coin unfold its story. This has been possible to a large extent due to the genius and creative ability of ancient die-engravers who immortalized the features of each historical figure presented in this book.

LebanonPostcard will be responsible for sending the book you order, through a fast courier with a tracking number, guaranteeing reception of the package. The souvenirs may take three to five days to arrive, according to the country they are sent to.