Drachm

The Brettii — the Bruttian confederacy of southern Italy — began striking silver coinage around the time of Hannibal's devastating victories over Rome, and this drachm falls squarely within that window. After Cannae in 216 BC, much of southern Italy defected to Carthaginian alliance, and the Brettii were among the most committed. Their silver issues almost certainly served in part to pay troops and sustain a war economy operating outside Roman control. The confederation's coinage output collapsed once Rome reasserted dominance over the region by 211–210 BC, making the production window for this type extremely narrow.