AE Pentonikion, 11.5G, 27mm, 12h Messana, 220-200 BC Obverse: Laureate head of Zeus right. Reverse: MAMEPTINON, Helmeted naked warrior advancing right, holding spear and shield. Forgive my spelling in some place but my phone won’t do Greek letters. Like the large IT below the shield. This coin has a beautiful brown and green patina. The Mamertini were OSCAN Mercenaries who took over the city for a time. The coin has wear but that shows that the coin worked well to support the local economy at the time.
That's a very attractive coin @Collecting Nut I really like it. Congrats on the addition! I have one coin of the Mamertini in my collection. The Mamertini AE Pentonkion. 288-278 B.C. Messana mint, 16.893g, 26.5mm Obv: ARES, laureate head of Ares right, uncertain control symbol behind (off flan). Rev: MAMERTINWN, eagle with spread wings standing left on a thunderbolt.
Very nice coins. Ah, the Mamertines, "bad boys of the Strait of Messina" The "sons of Mamer" (Oscan version of Ares) were Campanian mercenaries hired by Agathokles and stayed in Sicily when they became unemployed after his death 289 BC. They were invited into Messana then killed all the males and took their homes, dividing property and women. They became pirates and raiders. In 278 BC, Pyrrhus came to help defend Syracuse against their attacks. In 265 BC, Hiero II defeated them near the Longanus River and laid siege to Messana. The Mamertines asked for help from Carthage, then Rome, which triggered the First Punic War. Overall, a bunch of troublemakers. The Mamertini struck a variety of AE types, usually with a military theme from 288 to circa 200 BC. Sicily, Mamertini AE pentonkion 211-208 BC 11.85 gm, 25 mm O: laureate head Ares left, linear circle border R: man standing left holding spear in front of horse standing left, Π to left, ΜΑΜΕΡΤΕΝΩΙ to right SNG ANS 430; HGC 2, 849 ex-Freedman, Triton V:180 01/15/2002
Mamertines... Samnites / Campanians as Mercenaries... Pentonkions Sicily Messana -The Mamertines / Mamertini / Mamertinoi Mercenaries 288-278 BCE AE Pentonkion 288-278 BCE 264-241 BCE 211-208 BCE
