目录
| 正面描述 | 登录 以查看详情 |
|---|---|
| 正面文字 | 登录 以查看详情 |
| 正面铭文 | 登录 以查看详情 |
| 背面描述 | A horse and rider depicted in left-facing gallop, centrally positioned within the field. The equestrian figure is rendered in a schematic but energetic Punic-Numidian style, with the rider seated bareback in the characteristic Numidian manner without a saddle. A Punic royal legend is inscribed in the field, reading 'SphQ HMMLKT' (translating as 'Syphax the King'), serving as the principal identifying inscription of the issue. The flan edges are irregular and the surface exhibits extensive corrosion and earthen encrustation typical of hammered bronze bronzes from this period and region. |
| 背面文字 | 登录 以查看详情 |
| 背面铭文 | 登录 以查看详情 |
| 边缘 | Plain |
| 铸币厂 | 登录 以查看详情 |
| 铸造量 | 登录 以查看详情 |
| 附加信息 |
Syphax ruled the Masaesyli, the western Numidian kingdom, during one of the most consequential decades of the ancient Mediterranean world — the period when Carthage and Rome were tearing each other apart in the Second Punic War. He played both sides with remarkable audacity, negotiating alliances with Rome as early as 213 BC while ultimately throwing his lot in with Carthage through marriage to Sophonisba, daughter of the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal Gisco. That decision ended him. Defeated by the Numidian rival Masinissa and the Roman Scipio Africanus at the Battle of the Great Plains in 203 BC, he died a Roman prisoner in Tibur.
This bronze issue is among the earliest coinage attributable to a specifically named Numidian ruler, placing it at the founding edge of the entire series.