Æ Trihemiobol

The Brettii — a confederation of Oscan-speaking tribes in Bruttium, the toe of Italy — struck this bronze during their alliance with Hannibal following the Roman disaster at Cannae in 216 BC. Their coinage from this window is a direct product of that political gamble: with Carthaginian forces controlling much of southern Italy, the Brettii administered their own affairs and minted accordingly. When Rome reasserted control after 211 BC, the confederation was stripped of its political autonomy and its coinage ceased entirely, making this a precisely bounded series with no later continuation.