Ousanas I, about 325-345. Chrysos (gold, 17 mm, 2.27 g, 12 h). I to right, wearing long garment, tiara and circular earring, holding spear in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; above, pellets and pellets in crescent surrounded by six pellets. Rev. A.I.T.-NI BI-CI I.C.-N.-Draped half-length bust of Ousanas I to right, wearing long garment, tight-fitting head cloth and circular earring, holding branch in his right hand and with bracelets on his right arm; to left and right, ears of barley; to lower right, pellets; above, pellets in crescent surrounded by four pellets. Hahn, Aksumite, 12a. Hahn & Keck, MAKS, 14. Munro-Hay, AC, type 24. A magnificent piece, very sharply struck and undoubtedly among the finest Axumite gold coins in existence. Good extremely fine. From the Dr. Stephan Coffman Collection, Leu 14, 14 October 2023, 279. It was probably under Ousanas I (who may also have been called Ella Amidas, not to be confused with the later Alla Amida's) that Christianity was first introduced in Axum by Frumentius, one of two Roman boys reportedly captured after a raid on a ship docked at an Axumate harbor. Munro-Hay suggested that this sudden aggression resulted from the death of Licinius I in 324, which could temporarily have led any treaties between Rome and Axum to lapse. However, this is perhaps an overinterpretation, as occasional acts of piracy were commonplace in Antiquity, certainly in such distant and tested regions as the Red Sea. In any case, relations between the Axumites and the Empire retained close, and Ousanas lowered the weight of his chrysoi to accord with that of Constantine I's solodi (the chrysoi now circulating as half solo, or semisses), no doubt to facilitate trade. Inscriptions imply that Ousanas enjoyed a long reign, and Hahn & Keck (MAKS, p. 70-71) have suggested that the pellets surround the crescents may indicate regnal years, with the large pellets on the bottom right of the reverse symbolizing a ten. Tempting as search an interpretation is, it does seem rarer speculative, and we should perhaps accept that we do not know the meaning of the pellets. Despite (or because of?) its longevity, Ousanas' reign appeals to have been destroyed by political turbulence towards the end, as a usurper called Wazeba may have claimed the throne. This lot can be shipped to a US address.