Numidia's bronze coinage emerged directly from the kingdom's alliance with Rome during the Second Punic War, when Massinissa's cavalry proved decisive at Zama in 202 BC. The pellet mark distinguishes a specific emission within this series and has been associated with distinct circulation zones across the Numidian interior, though scholarly consensus on precise attribution between Massinissa and Micipsa remains unsettled — the dynasty's nearly continuous output over eight decades complicates die-sequence analysis.
Massinissa ruled for over fifty years after Zama, dying in 148 BC reportedly at age 90, still commanding troops in the field.
Numidia's bronze coinage emerged directly from the kingdom's alliance with Rome during the Second Punic War, when Massinissa's cavalry proved decisive at Zama in 202 BC. The pellet mark distinguishes a specific emission within this series and has been associated with distinct circulation zones across the Numidian interior, though scholarly consensus on precise attribution between Massinissa and Micipsa remains unsettled — the dynasty's nearly continuous output over eight decades complicates die-sequence analysis.
Massinissa ruled for over fifty years after Zama, dying in 148 BC reportedly at age 90, still commanding troops in the field.