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Æ12
| Issuer | Motye, Punic |
|---|---|
| Year | 415 BC - 397 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Crab rendered facing, with prominent claws outstretched to either side and the carapace centrally positioned, a device closely associated with the Punic coinage of Motye and broader Sicilian numismatic tradition. The legs are schematically indicated flanking the body. The design fills the flan without border or legend, consistent with the small bronze issues of this series. |
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| Mint | Motye |
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| Additional information |
Motya was a Phoenician colony on a small island off the western coast of Sicily, and one of the most strategically contested sites in the ancient Mediterranean. The city's bronze coinage — including this small Æ — was struck during a period of intense Carthaginian military activity in Sicily, beginning with Hannibal Mago's campaign of 409 BC and culminating in Dionysius I of Syracuse's methodical siege and total destruction of Motya in 397 BC. The city was never reoccupied as a functioning urban center. Coins of Motya are terminal by definition — the mint ceased permanently with the destruction.