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Drachm
| Issuer | Brettii |
|---|---|
| Year | 216 BC - 214 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A naked river-god stands facing, his chlamys draped over his left arm, raising his right hand to crown himself while holding a sceptre in his left. A symbol appears in the right field, which varies by emission and may be a dog, thunderbolt, crab, or rhyton. The ethnic legend BPETTIΩN is inscribed in the field, identifying the issuing authority of the Brettii. The composition reflects strong Hellenistic artistic influence consistent with coinage struck in Bruttium during the Second Punic War period. |
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| Reverse lettering | BPETTIΩN |
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| Additional information |
The Brettii — the Bruttian people of Calabria's toe — struck their own silver coinage only after breaking with Rome during the Second Punic War, when Hannibal's victories at Trebia, Trasimene, and Cannae made Roman collapse look imminent. This issue dates to precisely that window of opportunism, minted within months of Cannae in 216 BC. The Brettii supplied Hannibal with troops and materiel, and their coinage was partly a declaration of political independence, partly a practical necessity for paying soldiers.
The heavy museum representation — Hunterian, Fitzwilliam, Copenhagen — reflects nineteenth-century collecting intensity in southern Italian finds rather than any unusual abundance.