Arpi was among the most consequential defections of the Second Punic War — a prosperous Daunian city in Apulia that sided with Hannibal after Cannae in 216 BC. This small silver issue almost certainly belongs to that period of Carthaginian alignment, struck while Rome was in no position to object. The city was retaken by Rome in 213 BC after a negotiated surrender, which likely terminated any independent coinage immediately. HN Italy 648 is not a common type; Arpan silver in any denomination turns up infrequently in the trade.
Arpi was among the most consequential defections of the Second Punic War — a prosperous Daunian city in Apulia that sided with Hannibal after Cannae in 216 BC. This small silver issue almost certainly belongs to that period of Carthaginian alignment, struck while Rome was in no position to object. The city was retaken by Rome in 213 BC after a negotiated surrender, which likely terminated any independent coinage immediately. HN Italy 648 is not a common type; Arpan silver in any denomination turns up infrequently in the trade.