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Æ Didrachm
| Issuer | Brettii |
|---|---|
| Year | 208 BC - 203 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Ares facing right, depicted in profile wearing a crested Corinthian helmet with an elaborately rendered plume; the facial features are rendered in a robust Italic style, with a short beard visible below the cheek guard. The helmet crest extends prominently to the upper right of the flan. No legend or inscription appears on the obverse. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Brettii — the Bruttian confederation of Oscan-speaking peoples in the toe of Italy — struck this issue during the final, desperate phase of their alliance with Hannibal. By 208 BC, Roman reconquest of southern Italy was accelerating, and the Brettii were producing coinage partly to fund mercenary forces and partly to project an independence they were rapidly losing. Their mint output collapsed after Zama in 202 BC, and Roman retribution was swift: the Brettii were stripped of half their territory and forbidden from serving as Roman allies, reduced instead to the status of a servant people supplying labor to Roman armies.