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1/2 Shekel
| Issuer | Carthage |
|---|---|
| Year | 220 BC - 210 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Tanit (or a Punic goddess assimilated to Core-Persephone) facing left, her elaborately dressed hair adorned with a wreath of grain ears and a crescent at the brow, with ringlets falling to the neck and shoulder. The modelling of the face is refined and reflects strong Hellenistic artistic influence, with delicate features and a serene expression. No legend appears in the field, consistent with Carthaginian coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
These fractions were struck to fund Hannibal's Italian campaign — the most financially demanding military operation Carthage ever undertook. The army that crossed the Alps in 218 BC was largely mercenary, and mercenaries required coin. Spanish silver, flowing through Carthaginian-controlled mines in the Iberian peninsula, provided the raw material.
The Müller and SNG Copenhagen references place this squarely within the Hispano-Carthaginian military coinage sequence, struck most likely in Spain rather than Carthage itself.