Stater

Carthaginian electrum staters of this period were struck primarily to pay mercenary forces — Libyan, Iberian, Campanian, and Gallic troops who demanded coin rather than credit. The alloy composition, running well below the gold content of earlier issues, reflects the fiscal strain of sustained military campaigns in Sicily, where Carthage and the Greek cities had fought intermittently for over a century. The electrum itself was almost certainly sourced through trade networks across North Africa and Iberia rather than any single controlled deposit.