Drachm

The Ilergetes were the Iberian tribe that famously allied with Carthage during the Second Punic War — a geopolitical gamble that ultimately collapsed when their chieftains Indibilis and Mandonius switched allegiance to Rome after Scipio's capture of Carthago Nova in 209 BC. This drachm falls squarely within that window of conflict and shifting loyalties, struck at Iltirta (modern Lleida) as the western Mediterranean's balance of power was being violently renegotiated.

Iberian silver coinage of this period drew heavily on Greek Emporion prototypes circulating in the region, which is why these pieces are sometimes misattributed by less experienced collectors.