Coins from Tel Mikhal (Tel Michal) (pp. 71–88)

Thirty-eight coins were found in the excavation on the Northern Hill at Tel Mikhal, 33 were identified: 18 isolated coins, and 15 coins that formed part of a Persian-period hoard. The isolated coins are mainly of the Persian period, probably deriving from one phase of occupation that began in the second quarter of the fourth century BCE. The war between Ptolemy I and Antigonus possibly marks the end of the Persian stratum. The later numismatic evidence at the site indicates that the Northern Hill may have been occupied only during the Seleucid period. The hoard comprises Athenian-style tetradrachms, dating to the rule of Straton I (371/367–357/354 BCE); several details clearly define these tetradrachms as imitations. The number of Tel Mikhal coins that were minted in Sidon outnumbers the number minted in Tyre, thus supporting the historical evidence that Tel Mikhal was part of a Sidonian enclave on the central Palestinian coast.