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Stater
| Issuer | Tarentum |
|---|---|
| Year | 281 BC - 276 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Youthful bare head of Herakles facing right, depicted in fine high relief with idealized Classical features. The hero wears the scalp of the Nemean lion as a headdress, the gaping jaws and mane rendered in bold, sculptural detail framing the crown and nape of the neck. The hair beneath the lion skin is visible at the temple, and the overall style reflects the influence of late Classical Greek die-cutting of southern Italy. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
This gold issue falls within the most turbulent stretch of Tarentum's history — the years during which the city invited Pyrrhus of Epirus and his war elephants into southern Italy to contest Roman expansion. The decision to call on Pyrrhus was itself a consequence of Tarentum attacking Roman ships in their harbor in 282 BC, a provocation that made conflict inevitable. The gold stater, a denomination Tarentum rarely struck, signals emergency financing: the city was funding a mercenary king's campaign.
Pyrrhus departed Italy definitively in 275 BC, leaving Tarentum exposed. The coin's date range ends precisely as that political collapse began.