These coins were struck in the immediate aftermath of the Second Punic War — Carthage's most catastrophic defeat. The Treaty of Zama in 201 BC stripped Carthage of its Spanish provinces, its war elephants, and virtually its entire navy, leaving the city economically crippled and politically humiliated. The billon composition itself reflects this deterioration; earlier Carthaginian silver issues were struck in far purer metal.
The denomination is an awkward fraction, suggesting emergency monetary reorganization rather than planned policy.
These coins were struck in the immediate aftermath of the Second Punic War — Carthage's most catastrophic defeat. The Treaty of Zama in 201 BC stripped Carthage of its Spanish provinces, its war elephants, and virtually its entire navy, leaving the city economically crippled and politically humiliated. The billon composition itself reflects this deterioration; earlier Carthaginian silver issues were struck in far purer metal.
The denomination is an awkward fraction, suggesting emergency monetary reorganization rather than planned policy.