Bruttium, The Bretti

This is known as a obol or a bronze unit. I purchased this from John in March of 2016 and just opened the package a few days ago. It’s a beautiful coin and has strong details.

He describes what is called graffiti, possibly rendered by a worshipper of Terina as an offering, as the letters read NIKA.

Bruttium, The Bretti
AE Unit (Obol), 21mm, 7g, 8h
211-208 BC
Obv. Laureate bust of Zeus right, grain ear behind, graffiti NIKA in upper right
Rev. BPET-TION, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, cornucopia in left field.

 

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Nice one, @Collecting Nut ….
Here’s a Half-Obol from the same time.
Probly Hannibal was pushing these coins during his occupation.

BRONZE:

Bruttium AE 18mm Hemiobol 215-205 BC 2nd Punic Nymph Terina Nike Zeus

 

I like that one as well.

 

Yeah, the Bretti had some cool coins. Some of their Silver at the same time were cool, but heavily influenced by Hannibal.

 

Very nice coins and great topic!
I have collected Bretti coins since I started collecting ancients because of the Greek themes and historical connection to Hannibal during the 2nd Punic War.
The Bretti were an Oscan speaking Italic people that controlled most of the peninsula that is the "toe" of Italy. They grew stronger in the 4th Century BC and took over several Greek cities, assimilating some of the Greek culture. They opposed Roman expansion into southern Italy during the Samnite Wars and sided with Pyrrhus. After subjugation by Rome, they joined Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae and were the last pocket of resistance until Rome regained control in 203 BC.
Their coinage has the legend ΒΡΕΤΤIΩΝ with various symbols and is diverse. Scheu cataloged the coins in three Numismatic Chronicle articles in 1955, 1961 and 1962. The coins are often found in hoards that also contain Carthaginian coins from the time of Hannibal's occupation. In “Carthaginian and Other South Italian Coinages of the Second Punic War” Numismatic Chronicle, 7th series 4:37-64, 1964, Robinson determined that the entire Brettian coinage was produced during their alliance with Hannibal. Rutter catalogs the coins well in Historia Numorum - Italy (HN Italy) 2001 as the following series:
First series 216-215 BC
- large AE didrachm? (head Apollo / Nike in biga)
Second series 215-214 BC
- AR didrachm (jugate heads Dioscuri / Dioscuri riding horses)
- AE drachm (head Zeus / eagle standing), triobol (head Nike / Zeus throwing thunderbolt) , trihemiobol (head goddess wearing crab headdress / crab), obol (head Athena / owl)
Third series 213-207 BC
- AV drachm (head Posiden / Thetis on hippocamp), hemidrachm (head Melqart / Nike standing or head Herakles / biga)
- AR drachm (bust Nike / god crowning himself or head Hera / Zeus standing), hemidrachm (head Apollo / Artemis advancing)
Fourth series 214-203 BC (similar to and contemporary with other AE series, but uses ancillary symbol)
Grain ear 214-211 BC,
- AE double (head Ares / Nike with trophy), unit (head Zeus / eagle standing), half (head Nike / Zeus throwing thunderbolt), quarter head goddess wearing crab headdress or head river god / crab), sixth (head Athena / owl or head Herakles / club and bow)
Thunderbolt 211-208 BC
- AE double (head Ares / Athena advancing), unit (head Zeus / warrior advancing), half (bust Nike / Zeus in biga), quarter head goddess wearing crab headdress), sixth (head Athena / owl)
Plough 211-208 BC
- unit (head Zeus / eagle standing), double, half, quarter and sixth - same as Thunderbolt group
Lyre 208-203 BC - same as Plough but no sixth

Here are two of my favorite Bretti AEs:

Bretti - First series 216-215 BC
AE didrachm? 18.91 gm
O: head Apollo left, lyre lower right
R: Nike driving biga right; thunderbolt and [Γ] lower right; [ΒΡ]ΕΤΤI[ΩΝ] in exergue
HN Italy 1940
Triton III:132 11/30/1999


Bretti - Second series 215-214 BC
AE trihemiobol 2.91 gm, 16 mm
O:female head left wearing crab headdress; Γ below
R: crab; ΒΡΕΤ between claws; ΤΙΩΝ below
HN Italy 1944

 

! There must be an interesting story behind that statement . I like the coin .

Thanks for that background, @Silphium Addict . One of my favorite Greek bronzes is from the second series.


BRUTTIUM, the Brettii
216-214 BCE
Æ quartuncia, 13.5mm, 2.06 g
Obv: head of Amphitrite left, wearing crab headdress
Rev: crab; torch above, BPET-TIΩN above and below
Ref: Pfeiler p. 33, 4a; Scheu, Bronze 51; HN Italy 1944; SNG ANS 123–4; SNG Lloyd –; McClean 1579

 

Interesting series





Q

 

Nice coins everyone.

@Collecting Nut you bought the coin in 2016 and only just opened it? Wow!

I come from the land of the Bretti and named my collection after the Savuto river near the ancient city of Terina. Terina is just a short ride down the mountain from my town. There's not a lot left of Terina, but if you know where to go there's a lot to see. Although Flavian's is the main focus of my collection I also collect the pre-Roman and Indigenous Italic coins. One of my favorites:



Diademed, draped and winged bust of Nike right, bird? behind

BPETTIΩN
River-god Aisaros/Dionysos standing, crowning himself, holding cloak and scepter, monogram and shield to right

216-214 BC Punic war issue

4.81g

Rare with these control marks. Only 2 on acsearch including this one, both from same dies and die flaws.
Struck with worn obverse die.

Arslan dies 81/107’; Scheu S65; HN Italy 1970

Ex-CNG 452 Lot 48; From the John L. Cowan Collection; Ex-Pegasi, 31 May 2012 Auction 24 lot 44.

 

I have boxes and boxes and envelopes and all kinds of coins and things that I bought from 2009 up to 2017 that I never opened. I was working 80 plus hours on a six day work week. I ordered, mowed the lawn, ate and slept. It was all I had time for. Now that I’m retired I’m slowing getting to them and discovering them all over again. And I’m so thankful I retired. Once I open them and see the item I remember about 98% of them. Go figure.

 

Brutal!!

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement! Sounds like you're going to have a great time catching up on coins .

 

BRUTTIUM. Rhegion (260 - 215 B.C.)
Æ23
O: Helmeted head of Athena left.
R: Athena Nikephoros standing left.
5.7g
Reference: SNG ANS 756-760; Rutter, HN 2554

 

Æ27 also with an eagle:

27 mm, 11.480 g
Bruttium, Lokroi Epizephrioi, after 280 BC, ca 280 -268 BC

Epizephyrian Locris (from Greek Επιζεφύριοι Λοκροί - epi-Zephyros, "under the West Wind") was founded about 680 BC on the Italian shore of the Ionian Sea, near modern Capo Zefirio. Locris was the site of two great sanctuaries, that of Persephone — worshipped as the protector of fertile marriage — and of Aphrodite. Plato called it "The flower of Italy", due to the local peoples' characteristics.The city was abandoned in the fifth century AD. The town was finally destroyed by the Saracens in 915. The survivors fled inland about 10 km to the town Gerace on the slopes of the Aspromonte.

SNG ANS 560-561; Rutter, HN Italy 2374; SNG Copenhagen 1881; SNG München 1513; Historia Numorum 2374; SNG Morcom 436

Ob.: Diademed head of Persephone r. long torch behind
Rev.: Λ(O)KPΩN left. Eagle standing l. wings closed, on thunderbolt, monogram before, palm-branch behind

 

The Brettians Ar Drachm 216-214 BC Obv Head of winged Nike right. Rv. River god facing crowning himself with wreath and holding sceptre. HGC 1356 4.86 grms 18 mm Photo by W. Hansen

Though generally called a drachm these coins appear to be rather heavier than what would be expected for a drachm of Attic weight. I suspect that the original concept for this coinage may have been a reduced nomos. However if they are not, it may be an indication of the uncertainty over the introduction of a new type. By making them heavier that may help overcome the resistance over acceptance of a new type. I have noted this phenomenon on the tetradrachm issues of Himera in 409-408 BC and tetradrachms of Leontini HGC 671 usually dated to 440-430 BC.

 

Curious, Terrance… since Bruttium was sympathetic, and later occupied by Hannibal, could this size be closer to a Shekel?

 

CARTHAGE OCCUPYING BRUTTIUM


Bruttium Carthage occup 2nd Punic War AR Half-Shekel (approx Drachm / Denarius) 216-211 Tanit Horse SOLAR-O HN Italy 2016 SNG Cop 361-3



Bruttium Carthage occup 2nd Punic War AR Half-Shekel (approx Drachm / Denarius) 216-211 Tanit Horse SOLARdisc HN Italy 2016

 

#I purchased this from John in March of 2016 and just opened the package a few days ago.
That's a long wait - nice coin of Bruttium.

Here's an and older coin from Croton/Kroton. Alexander the Molassian, King of Epirus, uncle to Alexander the Great by way of his sister Olympias, Alexander's mother and Phillip II's 4th wife, made a push to conquer Italy (334-331 BC) during the time of this coin.

Bruttium, Kroton, 350-300 BC, Æ Obol (7.84 gm, 17.5mm)
Obv: Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin; [DI above?]
Rev: Eagle standing right holding serpent, [K]PO under wing

 

...wow..what a great story and kool coins all....

 

Good point @Terence Cheesman and excellent question @Alegandron

The Bretti clearly used a different standard for their coinage than the Carthaginian shekel. (Perhaps they were hoping the Carthaginians would go away after the region gained independence from Rome!) However, I can't find a good explanation of the denomination and weight standard for the Bretti coins. Here's what I found:

The first silver coin of the Bretti HN Italy 1941 (jugate heads Dioscuri / Dioscuri riding horses) 215-214 BC was ~5.6 gm. It was about the same weight and contemporary with the only silver coin of Capua HN Italy 480 (head Zeus / eagle standing with wings spread). They are sometimes called Attic weight octobols, like Pyrrhus' Syracuse coin. There is no evidence to support that idea. The silver coinage used in Italy before the 2nd Punic War was the quadrigatus and the Taras reduced nomos (Evans IX) of ~6.6 gm. Robinson thought the weight was related to the decreasing weight and debasement of the quadrigatus. But is that really the reason? Rutter lists the coins a a reduced didrachm, but does not explain.

The last and more extensive series of Bretti silver HN Italy 1958-74 214-207 BC was on a standard of ~4.8 gm, probably reduced due to the protracted war. Rutter lists to the denominations as a drachm and half drachm, again with no explanation.

I don't have any of the earlier AR coins of ~5.6 gm, but here are two of mine from the later series:

Bretti - Third series 214-207 BC
AR drachm 4.55 gm
O: veiled head Hera
R: Poseiden standing, foot on pillar, holding staff, eagle to left
HN Italy 1970


Bretti - Third series 214-207 BC
AR hemidrachm 2.31 gm
O: laureate head Apollo
R: Artemis standing holding arrow and torch; dog at feet
HN Italy 1967

 

My humble example - sellers pics.

 

@longshot Very nice coin!

You didn't list the weight, but I assume it is ~8-9 gm. There may be traces of a grain ear at the lower left. If so, it would be Scheu, Bronze 13; HN Italy 1978. Same as the coin of @Collecting Nut but different reverse die.

Personally, I do not consider the coin "humble" as it is well centered and a great style. I also see a coin that was circulating during the peak of Carthaginian power in Bruttium, but Rome had survived and was starting to retake some of Campania and Apulia. Were the people who used the coin still confident they would prevail in their revolt against Roman domination or could they see the tide starting to turn? A great piece of history!

Here is my example of the same type:

Bretti - grain ear series 214-211 BC
AE drachm 8.53 gm, 21 mm
O: laureate head Zeus right; grain ear lower left
R: eagle standing left on thunderbolt; cornucopia to left; crescent above; ΒΡΕΤ downward upper right; ΤΙΩΝ upward to left
Laffaille 72 (this coin); Scheu 14; HN Italy 1978
ex-Maurice Laffaille, M&M 76:72 09/19/1991; Ars Classica XVI:298 07/03/1933