Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ
| Issuer | Metapontion |
|---|---|
| Year | 425 BC - 350 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm (540-200BC) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A single barley ear, the civic symbol of Metapontion, depicted in high relief with a full head of grain and detailed husk markings on the right side of the flan. To the left of the stalk, a small figure or symbol — possibly a grasshopper or caduceus — is visible in the field. The barley ear motif is the hallmark reverse type of Metapontine coinage and reflects the agricultural prosperity of the region. No legend is present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (425 BC - 350 BC) |
| Additional information |
Metapontion's bronze coinage from this period served local exchange in a city whose agricultural wealth — particularly its grain surplus — was substantial enough to sustain one of the more prolific minting programs in Magna Graecia. The city had aligned with Carthage during the Second Punic War, a decision that led to its near-total abandonment after Hannibal's eventual defeat; most surviving bronzes from Metapontion were lost to that depopulation rather than worn into illegibility.
The unlisted HN Italy reference suggests this piece either falls into a recognized gap in Rutter's catalog or represents a variety not yet formally classified.