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Trihemistater - Carthage
| Issuer | Carthage (Zeugitana) |
|---|---|
| Year | 264 BC - 241 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Facing left, the draped bust of the goddess Tanit, her hair wreathed with grain ears, adorned with a beaded necklace and triple-pendant earring. The portrait is rendered in refined Hellenistic style, with softly modeled facial features characteristic of late Punic coinage from the First Punic War period. The hair falls in undulating waves beneath the grain wreath, emphasizing the deity's connection to agricultural fertility. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (264 BC - 241 BC) |
| Additional information |
These electrum trihemistaters were struck during the First Punic War — the existential conflict that pitted Carthage against Rome for control of Sicily. The Sicilian mints that had long supplied Carthaginian forces were increasingly unreliable or inaccessible as the war ground on, pushing production back to Zeugitana itself. Electrum coinage of this period reflects the financial strain of sustaining a mercenary army across a contested island for over two decades.
The war ended badly. Carthage's defeat in 241 BC triggered the Mercenary War almost immediately, as unpaid soldiers mutinied — a crisis that nearly destroyed the city before Rome intervened.