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History
In Phoenicia
there was an important city called Tripolis, whose name is appropriate to its nature, for
there are in it three cities, at a distance of a stade from one another, and the names by
which these are called are the city of the Aradians, of the Sidonians and of the Tyrians.
This city enjoyed the highest repute amongst the cities of Phoenicia for there, as it
happens, the Phoenicians held their common council and deliberated on matters of supreme
importance. Top Page
Tripolis was a federation of three
Phoenician seaports, Aradus, Sidon and Tyre. During this period, the early part of the
fourth century B.C., the Mediterranean seaboard was under Persian control and the
Phoenician cities, together with Cyprus, Syria and Palestine, were incorporated in the
Fifth satrapy.e They were taxed lightly by the Persians and consequently their commercial
activities prospered. Then conditions changed and an attempt was made by the Phoenicians
to achieve political unity and independence from Persia. Tripolis was probably
built on the emplacement of a still earlier Phoenician city whose name has yet to be
determined by further archaeological evidence on the site. Top Page
The federal
city not only became a neutral meeting ground for the Phoenicians but also developed into
an important and flourishing commercial center. Its geographical position and port
facilities attracted the sea trade of the east Mediterranean world and the West and also
drew to it the caravan trade of north Syria and the hinterland. The variety of coins
issued by Tripoli’s mints is evidence of its prosperity and importance as the
financial center and main port of northern Phoenicia.
One of these coins issued in
the year 189 to 188 B.C. is believed to conceal the Phoenician name of the city . On
the obverse is a veiled female head and on the reverse, in addition to the helmets of the
Dioscuri, the patron gods of Tripoli, are three Phoenician letters. Coins minted in
Tripoli usually bear Greek and Latin inscriptions, therefore this coin is unique. The
letters might be transcribed as ‘tr, Atar. The question which remains to be
answered is whether the Phoenician letters on the Tripoli coin represent the original
Phoenician name, which could be Athar, or is an attempt by the engraver to reproduce in Phoenician the Greek name of the
city ‘‘Tripolis’’.Top Page
What
distinguishes coins of Tripoli from others minted in the cities of Phoenicia is the
frequent appearance of the Dioscuri or the "Heavenly
Twins", believed by the Ancients to be the Sons of Zeus. In Greek legend they were
said to be born of Leda who was famed for her great beauty. Having consorted with Zeus,
who approached her disguised as a swan, she laid an egg from which the twins, known in the
Graeco -Roman world as Castor and Pollux, were hatched. However In ancient tradition some
confusion reigned as to who their father was. Some held that they were not the Sons of
Zeus but of Leda’s husband Tyndareus, king of Sparta, with whom she had lain the same
night. Still others held that Castor was the son of Tyndareus and thus a mortal whereas
Pollux was the son of Zeus and thus a god." Top Page
The Dioscuri were inseparable and were renowned for
their athletic ability, Castor for horsemanship and Pollux for boxing. Among their heroic
exploits was sailing on the ship Argo and rescuing their sister Helen who had been carried
off by Theseus. Tradition held that they quarreled at one time with their cousins Idas and
Lynceus by abducting their brides-to-be. Others believed that the dispute arose between
the cousins over stolen cattle which led to bloodshed and Castor, being mortal, was slain.
Pollux was so afflicted by the death of his twin that he did not wish to outlive him and
refused immortality. Zeus was touched by this devotion and allowed the twins to remain
together alternately in the heavens and in the underworld. Later he transformed them into
the constellation "Gemini" or the "Heavenly Twins". They were revered as patron gods of Tripoli and their cult
had great appeal. They were known to succour shipwrecked sailors and sacrifices were made
to them for favorable winds. On coins of Tripoli the Dioscurt are represented as two
youths holding spears , often times they appear as horsemen. They wear egg-shaped
helmets, symbolic of their origin, crowned with stars commemorating their exalted position
in the sky The helmets of the Dioscuri also appear on a ship’s prow on some coins
emphasizing their maritime role as patron gods of Tripoli’s seamen. Top
Page
Historical References
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