Aphilas

Aphilas was known for his coins he produced the smallest gold coins ever minted in sub-saharan Africa, equivalent to one sixteenth of a Roman aureus. The obverse of this coin features not only his portrait, but the crescent and disc symbolic of the pre-Christian beliefs of Axum. The reverse features his name and title rendered in Greek, the lingua-franca of the civilized world at that time. Note that the "A"s lack a horizontal crossbar but have a dot placed below them instead.

His silver coin features his portrait on both the obverse and reverse with the disc and crescent (at top). The reverse reveals a distinguishing feature of Axumite coinage; gilding. The reverse interior portrait is overlaid with gold.