[ 8o 3 ] 
year of the proper ®ra of Sidon, nearly coincident 
with the 64,8th of Rome (41). 
2. No dates ever occurred upon the medals of 
the Syrian kings prefiding over the people of Sidon, 
either to F. Frcelich or Dr. Vaillant (42), who 
have fo eminently diftinguifhed themfelves in this 
branch of literature, before the year of Seleucus 1 12 
and therefore neither the Phoenician dates preferved* 
on the aforefaid Sidonian coins whofe numeral cha- 
racters do not amount to 112, nor the Greek dates 
on others falling fhort of that number, can rationally 
be fuppofed to bear any relation to the aera of that 
prince. This certainly muft be confidered as a flrono- 
prefumption, or rather an inconteftable proof, that the 
1 aft-mentioned Phoenician dates were deduced from 
the commencement of the proper Sidonian epoch, as 
from their genuine/cardinal point. Which reafoning 
will by analogy extend, as the numeral characters 
exhibited by all the coins here explained are of the 
lame kind, to every one of the reft. ■ 
3. None of the medals of the Syrian kings, with 
Phoenician letters upon them (43), hitherto publifh- 
ed, bear any Phoenician dates. This, after what has 
been faid, renders it extremely probable, that the 
pieces of Sidon I am confidering were pofterior to 
thofe coins ; and even that their Phoenician dates re- 
ferred to an aera different from that of Seleucus, fol- 
lowed by the Greek dates on the medals of the Syrian 
kings. Which if we admit, this aera could have been 
(41) F. Henr. Nor. Veronenf. ubi flip. 
(42) Erafm. Frcel. ubi fup. p. 39. Joan. Foy-Vaill. Selcucular. 
Jmper. p. 1 — 150. Lutet. Pari/ior. i68r. 
( 43 ) Joan, boy- Vaill. Erafm. Frcel. Nicol. Haym Roman. &c. 
3 K 2 no 
