The entry concerns double-sided tokens from Palmyra made (cast?) of bronze with a depiction of the god Bel.
Bronze tessera, 1st-3rd century, Palmyra
H.: 3.45 cm; W.: 2.57 cm; Thickness: 0.88 cm
Inscription: Palmyrene Aramaic
Louvre AO 11762 https://collections.louvre.fr
“This bronze tessera, an entry token for various public or private meetings, such as funeral ceremonies or banquets, depicts the god Bel, the supreme god of Palmyra, on the front.
He is depicted in bust form, wearing a cylindrical headdress over ample curly hair. In his left hand he holds a palm leaf. Two decorative rosettes, perhaps representing the sun and moon, decorate the top of the tessera. Under the bust are the words “fortune of the olive tree” since the tessera was probably made for a banquet of the olive oil producers of Palmyra.
On the back, there are three knives, probably objects used for worship. Above, the name of Bel is written next to a sign for rain, as Bel was supposed to ensure good rainfall and fertility.” https://archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/palmyre/en/bust-bel-rectangular-tessera
Tessera. 1st millennium BCE. Bronze.
Yale Peabody Museum, Yale Babylonian Collection https://collections.peabody.yale.edu/search/Record/YPM-BC-030170
Bronze. Palmyra, 3rd century.
3.5 x 2.5 cm
Auction ADER Paris https://www.ader-paris.fr
“Tessera
Obverse: bust of a young god carrying olive branches, wearing a calathos. At the bottom, the inscription: “Fortune (who protects) the olive trees”. On the reverse, the sign of Bel (three Palmyrian letters). A betyl between two sacrificial knives.
Provenance :
From a copy of the collectors’ notes, acquired in Istanbul in 1959 (?).
Nicole and Jean-Michel Thierry Collection
Bronze, Palmyra, 2nd – 3rd Century
W 2.5 x H 3.5 cm. 38.5 g
Auction house Ancient & Oriental
“Palmyrene bronze token or tessera decorated on both sides. The front features the depiction of a male bust, wearing a highly detailed kelathos headdress and holding a branch in his left hand. On the reverse, a depiction of a sharp pointed instrument between two sheathed knives, topped by a Samaritan inscription.” https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/other-antiquities/palmyrene-bronze-tessera/
- https://archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/palmyre/en/bust-bel-rectangular-tessera
- Ted Kaizer and Rubina Raja, Divine symbolism on the tesserae from Palmyra. Considerations about the so-called “symbol of Bel” or “signe de la pluie” https://journals.openedition.org/syria/7070
- Krystyna Gawlikowska, The Glass industry in Palmyra https://journals.openedition.org/syria/3171
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