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Æ Shekel
| Issuer | Carthage |
|---|---|
| Year | 215 BC - 201 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Wreathed head of the goddess Tanit facing left, rendered in the Hellenistic style typical of late Carthaginian bronze coinage. The effigy displays flowing hair bound with a grain or laurel wreath, with a distinctive earring or pendant visible at the ear. The neck is elegantly modeled, and the portrait is enclosed within a plain inner border consistent with Punic artistic conventions. No legend or inscription appears in the field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A horse walking to the right, depicted with naturalistic musculature and a raised foreleg in the characteristic Punic equine style. A long caduceus with intertwined serpents stands prominently in the left background field behind the horse. The design is contained within a dotted border, with no exergual line or inscription. The horse is shown without a rider, serving as a quintessential symbol of Carthaginian power and Punic religious iconography. |
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| Additional information |
This issue falls squarely within the Second Punic War, when Carthage was financing Hannibal's campaigns in Italy and simultaneously holding off Roman pressure in Spain and North Africa. Military payroll demands on the Carthaginian treasury during this period were enormous, and bronze coinage of this type likely circulated among troops and suppliers rather than in any conventional commercial economy.
SNG Copenhagen 327 provides the standard reference point for die alignment and fabric on this type. Specimens from Spanish find contexts turn up with some regularity, consistent with the western theater of operations.