Catalog
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| Issuer | Carthage |
|---|---|
| Year | 320 BC - 310 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (320 BC - 310 BC) |
| Additional information |
Carthaginian electrum staters of this type were almost certainly struck to pay mercenary troops during the campaigns in Sicily — specifically the wars against Syracuse that consumed much of Carthage's military budget in the late fourth century. Carthage had no standing citizen army of consequence; it fought through hired soldiers, and coinage was often minted in direct response to campaign financing needs rather than for general circulation.
The electrum itself was not a deliberate alloy choice so much as a practical one — Carthage sourced gold through trans-Saharan trade networks where purity was variable.