So, I recently won this coin. Campania, Cales Bronze circa 265-260, Æ 23mm., 6.52g. Head of Athena l., wearing Corinthian helmet. Rev. Cock standing r.; in l. field, star. Sambon 916. Historia Numorum Italy 435. My questions are, 1) Why are the coins of Campania, Cales almost uniformly confined to no earlier than 265 BC (and usually no later than 240 BC, though that's not true for the coin above)? - I can't really find anything that would pinpoint 265 BC as being so critically important. 2) What is the significance, if any, of the rooster which was so common with this area's coinage? Thanks!
The dating for the coins of Cales has been neglected, but Dr. Sisci and I proposed a new dating scheme for many of the bronzes in Potamikon.
Cales was a Roman colony since 335 BC, and his coinage is closely related to the ones of other Greek towns conquered by the Romans between Campania and Samnium, like Caiatia, Teanum, Venafrum, Suessa. All of them issued coins with the sun/rooster symbols At the reverse and often Minerva at the obverse. It is believed that these towns were part of a “common market” and their issues were purposedly similar, to ease commerce among them. Around 275 BC similar coins were issued by campanian mints (Crawford 17/1 Minerva/Horse) with ROMANO legend, to be used in exchanges between Campania and Rome. After the second Punic war, in which Cales refused help to Rome, the town lost several rights, included minting.
Mine is AE19 and 5.7g. The man with the hammer was particularly strong on yours. The fabric suggests striking on round globe flans rather like we see in Syracuse.
What does the Rooster signify? I have a NewStyle Cock with Palm supposedly to do with Dionysos? Athens New Style Tetradrachm c 146/5 BC Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet 34 mm Thompson issue 18 Thompson catalogue:Obs Gaziantep 146?:Rev NEW? Rev : ΑΘΕ ethnic Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora below control mark ME 2 magistrates : XAPΙ ΗPA RF symbol : Cock with Palm All within a surrounding olive wreath
Campania, Cales, AE21 Struck 265-240 BC Obverse: CALENO, laureate head of Apollo left; behind, cock standing right. Reverse: Man-headed bull standing right; lyre above, Δ below. References: SNG Morcom 75 var, HN Italy 436, SNG ANS 175 var, Laffaille 12 var, BMC 14 Size: 21mm, 6.36g Note: Rare without ethnic on reverse. Same obv/rev dies as CNG inventory #750588.
