Ancient Roman Republic - 200-100 BCE Ebusus (Ibiza, Balearic Islands) Æ16 1/4 Tracing NGC VF

From the Faces in Time Collection of Ancient coinage (09).

Strike: 4/5. Surface: 4/5. AE 1/4 Unit. Bes with hammer and serpent, on the sides caduceus and Punic letter Shin. Rev: Bes with hammer and serpent, on the sides caduceus and Punic letter Shin.

Statue of Bes in Dendern, Egypt.

Both sides of this unusual coin present the god Bes, the ancient household god that predates dynastic Egypt. He was worshiped throughout the Levant and the ancient world stretching to the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. Bes was responsible for important tasks such as killing snakes, battling evil spirits, watching over children, and aiding women in labor by fighting off evil spirits. Images of this deity were kept in homes. Typically, Egyptian gods were presented in profile, however Bes appeared in a full frontal portrait, and at times in a soldier's tunic, so as to appear prepared to attack any approaching evil.