Lot 1535
Sicily, Entella. Silver Tetradrachm (17.59 g), ca. 407-398 BC. Siculo-Punic issue. 'QRTHDST' (Neo-Punic) below, forepart of horse right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horse with wreath and holding caduceus; before, barleycorn. Reverse: 'MHNT' (Neo-Punic) across field, palm tree with two bunches of date. Jenkins 14 (O3'/R14; this coin cited). Well struck of fine style and attractive old cabinet toning. Extremely Fine. Estimate Value $5,000 - UP
The Hanbery Collection; Purchased privately from CNG in 1991. Ex MMAG 43 (12 November 1970), 12; Ex R. Carfrae Collection (Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 23 May 1894), 7.
This tetradrachm belongs to a much larger series struck by the Punic Carthaginians during their great campaigns to dominate Sicily at the expense of the Greek cities in the last decade of the fifth century BC. Money was needed to finance the mercenary armies that made Punic expansion possible and to retain its possessions on the western half of the island. While several mints existed, this coin was struck from the primary mint, which has been identified recently as Entella by I. Lee ("Entella: The Silver Coinage of the Campanian Mercenaries and the First Carthaginian Mint 410-409 BC," NC 160 [2000], 1-66).The Nike, barleycorn, and lion head elements of the reverse type are derived from the coinages of Greek Sicily, but the horse seems to allude to the Campanian origin of many of the mercenaries who fought for the Punic cause in Sicily. Indeed, Entella was itself a settlement of Campanian mercenaries usually serving Carthaginian interests. The palm tree reverse is a punning reference to the ultimate Phoenician origins of Carthage and the Punic colonies of North Africa, Sicily, and Spain. The Greek word for palm is phoenix, which is also the root of Phoenicia, the Greek name for the Punic homeland. It is very interesting and a little peculiar that the pun is aimed at a Greek audience, or at least an audience familiar with the Greek language. The Semitic name for the original homeland of the Carthaginians was Canaan.
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| Realized $11,750 |
