Tetradrachm

These tetradrachms were struck at a Sicilian mint operating under Carthaginian military administration during the intense phase of conflict with Syracuse — most likely at or near Panormus, though the exact location remains debated among specialists. Carthage had no tradition of coinage before its Sicilian campaigns forced the issue: the need to pay Greek and Campanian mercenaries demanded coin in a denomination they would recognize and accept.

The Athenian tetradrachm served as the functional model, a deliberate choice aimed at mercenary confidence rather than civic identity. Jenkins' die study remains the foundational reference, with the P3 group representing a tightly defined emission within a mint that left few administrative records behind.