Carne ( Phoenician: 𐤒𐤓𐤍, ^[1] Greek: Κάρνη ^[2]) or Carnos ( Greek: Κάρνος ^[3]) was an ancient Phoenician city opposite to the island-city Arados, north of Tartus. ^[4] Carne (and not Marath) was the port of Arados on the mainland, the only port city of its dependencies. ^{[4] [5]}

Nothing is known of the history of the city as distinct from that of Aradian Paralia, ^[4] which included also Tartus, Marath, Enydra, Balanaea and Paltus. ^{[3] [6]} Lycophron uses the term "Καρνῖται κύνες" (Carnite hounds) ^[7] to refer Phoenician merchants. ^[4] Strabo mentions it as one of the Aradian coast cities, in which its seaboard harbour is found. ^[3] Pliny the Elder ^[8] and Stephanus of Byzantium ^[2] mention it as a city in northern Phoenicia.

Carne had a Mint, in which its Phoenician name and a date in Phoenician numerals, presumably that of Arados, were minted on its coins. ^[4] Some of the coins also show the Greek letters ΚΑΡ with the Alpha and the Rho joined together. ^[9] Some of them contain a palm, ^[9] a common symbol of Phoenicia. ^{[10] [11]} The deities who stand out in their appearance on the city's coins are Zeus, Tyche and Eshmun- Asclepius (sometimes crowned by Nike). ^[9] The types of the coins are mainly those of Arados, although the Eshmun-Asclepius type points to a special cult of the deity at Carne. The mint produced coins in three periods (all are BC): 226/225–221/220, 188/187–185/184, and 137/136, a year that saw especially a great revival of currency at Arados itself. ^[12]

Nowadays, the city location is called Karnûn ^[4] or Karnoun, ^[13] with an -oun suffix typical for borrowed names from Greek even when they don't and with Greek suffix -ον (like Batroun, from Greek Βοτρύς). ^[14]

References

Further reading

• Hoover, Oliver D. (2006). "A Second Look at the Aradian Bronze Coinage Attributed to Seleucus I (SC 72-73)". American Journal of Numismatics. 18: 43–50. ISSN  1053-8356. JSTOR  43580522.