New coin after a while (well just over a month really, but that's a personal best!) and this time is from a region I never explored before. I am talking about Magna Graecia (Greater Greece - Μεγαλη Ελλαδα), which is the name the Romans gave to the Greek colonies of Sicily and Southern Italy. Not many people know this, but the Greeks settled in those areas long before the Romans did, and as far as settlements go, they couldn't have been more successful. And of course, they are responsible for some of the most impressive and simply jaw-dropping pieces of art when it comes to coinage. I can't really claim that my new coin is one of those magnificent specimens, but in my opinion it is a good enough example which demonstrates that the die-cutters of those times and places were pretty talented individuals. It is a silver nomos (like a didrachm really) from the city of Metapontion (Metapontum as was later known in Roman times) in the Lucania region. That is bang on the middle of the gulf of Tarentum, so we are talking about a pretty central location in Greek Italy. In keeping with tradition, my photos do not do the coin justice (too bright and some detail is lost). Metapontion was an Achaeian colony from the Peloponnese. It was never as famous as its neighbour Tarentum or the cities of Sicily, but it was still an important centre of agriculture and commerce that flourished during the 5th and 4th centuries BC and it was also known as a centre of Pythagorean philosophy. One would say it was a very lucky city as it remained peaceful for the biggest part of its history. It didn't get involved in any of the local wars or disputes, and during the Peloponnesian war even though it was technically allied to Athens, practically the only effect of that was keeping a small Athenian garrison in the city. Metapontion did assist the Epeirot king Pyrrhus when he came over to Italy, but little is known about its role. It definitely sided with Hannibal though during the second Punic war, but again it somehow escaped any serious harm from the Romans. This didn't save the city from the gradual and almost total decline that all the Greek cities in Italy suffered during the Roman rule. Only a small amount of ruins of the city remain to this day. What they have left us though, is some of the finest coins of antiquity. They are easily recognised as most of them feature a grain-ear of barley on the reverse, a sign and symbol of the fertile lands of the region. My coin with Demeter (Δημητρα - the goddess of the harvest) on the obverse is typical of its period. It is worth noting that she was usually depicted in a high artistic standard as a gorgeous young woman. Show me your Magna Greacia coins, or anything to do with agriculture or Demeter, or any other non-standard nymph/goddess.
Especially when you think just up the road the Romans were struggling with their monetary system, lugging around huge pieces of bronze and just getting around to striking their own coins. Fantastic coin, congrats. MAGNA GRECIA LUCANIA PAESTUM (Poseidonia) Bronze semis. Circa 90-44 BC. 15mm, 3.41gm. Obv: Female head right; MINEIA • M • F behind. Rev: Two-story building; P-S flanking upper floor, S-C flanking lower. Crawford, Paestum 38b; HN Italy 1258. Rare.
The obverse style of your nomos is beautiful! I suggest photographing it with diffuse light rather than the harsh light as it's blowing out the details. My favorite Metapontum nomos depicts a dramatic Heracles in high relief: And, I can't help but share my Rhegium tetradrachm in a thread about Magna Graecia:
Congratulations on your latest acquisition, Only a Poor Man! And a lovely portrait of Demeter! Personally I've always liked the stater with the portrait of Leukippos from Metaponion, but I have yet to get one, although I've put in a few bids. One day... To be honest I'm a bit confused about what actually constitutes Magna Græcia. Like you, I always assumed that the south of Italy and Sicily together formed MG. But when I recently wanted to buy a book on the subject from the CNG- series I noticed that they have one on the south of Italy and one on MG. When I inquired. about the difference between them I got the polite, but somewhat circular reply that the first book was on the south of Italy and the other on Magna Graecia. So that really clarified the issue.... Either way, they produced some lovely coins... Here's one of my Sicilian coins, a hemidrachm from Syracuse. It's not perfect, but I liked the portrait ofZeus, son of Kronos, smiling benignly upon the world: View attachment 1161391 View attachment 1161393 View attachment 1161391 View attachment 1161393 Syracuse, AE hemidrachm, time of Timeleon and the Third Democracy, 344-339/8 BC. 17,34 gr, 25mm. Obv: portrait of Zeus, ZEΥΣ ΕΛΕYΘΕPΙΟΣ around. Rev: thunderbolt, eagle. ΣYPAKOΣIΩN around. CNS 72.
When I think of Magna Graecia, I think of the early series with the reverse being the incuse of the obverse. Metapontion is one of the more common cities in these. While they are most common in the large nomos size, mine are fractions. 1/3 Nomos grain ear as common from this city but this one has a bold doublestrike on the reverse that makes the grain have two central ribs. More ordinary is a litra or obol (1/12 nomos - .47g) that adds a small figure obverse right. Some call this a mule head but I don't see it. My favorite is another litra/obol where the reverse is replaced by a single barley kernel incuse.
“The Spartans” by Paul Cartledge. He states that Taras was Sparta’s only colony. AND, that Athena was a very important Goddess to the Spartans. Sparta highly revered her, and she was the “Patron Goddess of Sparta”... page 56 and 58. Ergo, Calabria Tarentum / Taras AR Drachm 18mm 3.1g 3rd C BCE Athena Corinthian Scylla OWL olive TAP ZOP HN Italy 975 Vlasto 1052
LUCANIA. PAESTUM (POSEIDONEIA). SECOND PUNIC WAR Æ SEMUNCIA / DOLPHIN Attribution: Crawford 4/1 Date: 218-201 BC Obverse: Wreathed head of Poseidon right, two pellets behind Reverse: ΠAIST, Dolphin right, two pellets above Size: 19.97 mm Weight: 6.82 grams Description: Old mark across the coin almost as if it was meant to be cut for change Ex: Marc Breitsprecher Bruttium Lokri Ephizephyrii 350-330 BC AE19 4.29g Jugate Hds Diskouroi - Zeus seatd patera scepter cornucopiae SNG ANS 583 SNG Cop 1895
Campania, Capua AE Semuncia circa 216-211, Æ 18.4mm., 4.58g. Obv: Bust of Juno r., holding sceptre on shoulder. Rev: KAPV (in Oscan) Two xoana draped. Ref: SNG ANS 215. Ref: Historia Numorum Italy 495. Comment: Slighlty double struck obv. Ex: From the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli collection
Sicily Akragas AE Trias 23mm 8.5g 287-241 BCE Beardless Zeus Hellanios 2 Eagles hare in talons HGC 2 159 Sicily Akragas AE Onkia 16mm 3.8g 425-406 BCE Eagle r fish fly - Crab conch SNG ANS 1062 var
Sicily Gela AR Litra Horse-Achelous 0.63g 13mm 465-450 BCE HGC 2 p 373 Bruttium Terina AE 18 Hemiobol 215-205 BC 2nd Punic Nymph Nike Zeus Campania Neapolis 320-300 BC AR Didrachm Nomos Nymph Achelous
This is a very good point actually. With such close geographic proximity you would have expected some kind of influence, but not, the Roman coinage of that period and even later was primitive at best. Anyone knows why? Could it be that they simply didn't care much about coinage and they saw the skill and effort their neighbours were putting on coins as unnecessary? Well, to break it down think of standard Ancient Greece as the Greek mainland and islands defined by today's borders plus the Aegean coastline (Ionia) that is now in modern Turkey. Magna Greacia were the Greek colonies to the west, mainly situated in Sicily and southern Italy. There were some other Greek colonised pockets in areas like the Balcans and the Black sea, and of course all the Hellenistic conquests that came much later. Not sure what is the terminology for those. @AncientJoe that Rhegium tetradrachm is pure art
Mine's the one with Leukippos. I'd love a spread flan incuse type one of these days. LUCANIA, Metapontion AR Didrachm. 7.72g, 20.5mm. LUCANIA, Metapontion, circa 340-330 BC. HN Italy 1576; Johnston Class B, 3.16; Pozzi (Boutin) 499 (this coin). O: ΛEYKIΠΠOΣ, Bearded head of Leukippos to right, wearing Corinthian helmet; behind, dog seated to left; below neck, Σ. R: META, Barley ear with leaf to right; above leaf, dove alighting right; below leaf, AMI. Ex Prof. Samuel-Jean Pozzi Collection (Boutin), 499
I am not a scholar or a history expert. I just love my Ancient History. I enjoy the Roman Republic. From my readings, I understand Italia, with the mountains and other geographic features, caused areas to be physically very secluded and discrete from each other. Additionally, Italia was precious metal poor, with copper being the only precious metal readily available. Over the Republic's earlier history, they were very agrarian, so trade was more direct from commodity for commodity. However, transactions would also be performed in like weights of Aes. It started crude with lumps of copper, and moved into cast ingots, then into cast coins (Aes Rude to Aes Signatum / Aes Formatum to Aes Grave). I think Central to Northern Italia, culturally, were in a different World, albeit a reasonably close proximity to to the Greek World. It was not until the Carthage Empire / Punic Wars, when Rome was able to capture and amass large amounts of Silver, from ELSEWHERE, that Rome moved to more sophisticated coinage. Bear in mind that old habits do not die. During the time Rome minted coinage (AR, struck AE, very little gold, etc.), they were still heavily trading and using the old cast and Aes Rude, etc. "coinage" concurrently with the newly minted / stamped / hammered coinage during the 200's BCE for about a hundred years. Italia Aes Rude - bronze ca 5th-4th Century BCE 29.7mm 32.4g rough uncia Oscan-Latin Aes Formatum scallop shell with Ribs 4th BCE RR Aes Grave AE Quadrans 269-242 BCE Dog 3 pellets Six spoked wheel 59.8g Craw 24-6a Th-Vecchi 34 ex Sellwood RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm 310-300 BCE 7.3g 21mm Mars-Horse FIRST AR Coin of Rome (probly minted in Neapolis) Cr 13-1 Left RR Anon 265-242 BCE Heavy Denarius / Didrachm Roma-Victory Crawford 22-1 Sear 25 - First Silver coin MINTED at the Rome mint
@AncientJoe - wonderful artistry on your two coins. I have always been fascinated by the incuse issues Lucania, Metapontion AR Stater. Circa 540-510 BC. Ear of barley with eight grains on each side; META upwards to right / Incuse ear of barley with eight grains on each side. HN Italy 1479
Very nice Nomos @Only a Poor Old Man! Here are some of my new Magna Graecia. Taras, Calabria AR Triartemorion. Obv: Bridled horses head right. Rev: Bridled horses head right, bird before. 10mm., 0.43gm. 380-228 BC. Sicily, Himera as Thermai Himerensis. Ae17, 4th century BC. Obv: Head of Hera right, wearing stephane with inscription INAΓ. Rev: ΘΕΡΜΙΤΑΝ / Head of Herakles; wearing Lion´s skin. SNG ANS 190. Lucania, Metapontion. c. 300-250 BC. Ae13 Obv: Radiate head of Helios facing. Rev: Three barley-grains radiating from center, M E and race torch within segments.
Thourioi Nomos 443-440 B.C. Obv. Head of Athena Right wearing Attic helmet. Rv Bull charging right. SNG ANS 890 7.95 grms 20mm Photo by W. Hansen
