Samnites - Mountain People who KICKED Roman .....

Received a cool coin the other day...


Aesernia, Italia
Bronze AE 21 open flan splits, 8.389g, maximum diameter 20.6mm, die axis 0o
ca. 263 - 240 BCE
Aesernia (Isernia, Italy) mint,
Obv: VOLCANOM, head of Vulcan left, wearing laureate pileus, tongs behind
Rev: AISERNINO, Jupiter galloping a biga right, Nike above flying right crowning horses
rare

I love these guys; they are the Samnites, physically beat on the Romans (Romans won the wars) during the brutal 3 Samnite Wars 343-290 BCE. They fit the REBEL in my Celtic soul...


Samnite Soldiers... Feathered helmets.. precursor to some of the Roman helmets with feather accents (along with their horse-hair brush - facing - Legates and Officers or across - Centurion)


See the spring spirals on the r and l of the crown? Feather holders... I always thought this was a distinctive differentiation that the Romans incorporated from the Samnites... I believe out of respect for this tough breed of mountain fighters.

Unfortunately, Imperator / Dictator Sulla literally killed them off at the end of the Marsic War (91-88 BCE)... Kinda one of the first Roman Diaspora of a people...

Please post any of your cool Coins from the Samnites or any cool Italia coins...

 

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Neat coin, Brian!

 

LOVE the post @Alegandron !! Wonderful coin, write-up and photos!!!

I'm still in the hunt for Latin/Italic and NOW Samnite issues... Jeez, YOU'RE CAUSING ME A LOT OF ANXIETY .....AND MONEY!!!

 

That is ok... You nailed me when you posted your cool Philip II !!! HAD to have one, and had FORGOTTEN that I did not have it in my collection when I am a BIG fan of his history...

 

Super new addition, Gandalf ... Vulcan, eh?

 

Wowzers! That coin is over the top Brian. You should see how jelly I am. Neat flan, neat devices and super neat history. Love it!

 

Wonderful write-up, very interesting! Nice historical bronze. Never seen the one of these coins before, thanks for sharing!

 

Yuppers, Vulcan. Always a cool guy to have on a coin!

 

Really cool coin. Interesting people.

 

Great coin and history.

I think that the Samnite Wars (343 BCE and later) were less an example of Roman aggression than they were a defensive Roman struggle.

Less than a half century before the Samnite-Roman struggle began, Rome had been defeated (390 BCE) and the city of Rome was sacked and held captive for several months (387 BCE) by the Gaulish chieftain Brennus.

Is there little wonder why the Romans reacted so vigorously to Samnite aggression, either real or imagined?

... back to your coin.

It was minted after the Third Samnite war (290 BCE) was concluded and the Samnite tribes had submitted to Roman rule.


Similar coins:

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/frentani/larinum/t.html

Question:

I believe Samnite coins of this later period appear to have Latin inscriptions instead of the native Oscan language.

http://www.sanniti.info/smliny.html

If this is true, it probably reflects further Samnite submission to the more powerful Roman Latin culture?

This probably explains the reversion to the Oscan language during the Social (or Marsic) Wars of 93-88 BCE when the Samnites tried to re-exert their culture and language.


(Not my coin. Image and information from Wikipedia)
Silver denarius, coinage of the Marsian Confederation, during the Social War (89 BC). The retrograde legend right (UILETIV [víteliú = Italia]) is in Oscan


Thank you for the fascinating coin.


guy

 

@Bart9349 Good stuff! Thanks Guy... Yes, these coins were struck after their submission into Rome's control. However, their relationship was tenuous... until ultimately again fighting the Romans during the Social War... and wiped out afterwards...towns became villages, villages became ghost towns...

In my collection, I have some of the coins you mention:

a) I have a Frentani...

FRENTANI, Larinum.
ca 210-175 BCE.
Æ 18mm - Quadrans.
Obv: Bearded head of Herakles right, in lion's skin headdress
Rev: LADINOD, centaur galloping right, holding branch over left shoulder; three pellets in ex.
Ref: SNG ANS 137; BMC 8; SNG Cop 272


b) As well as few Marsic Confederation denarii, including:

Marsic Confederation
AR Denarius
Bovianum(?) mint, 89 BCE.
(Bovianum was the Capital of the original Samnite Confederation since 9th C. BCE)
3.93g, 20mm, 3h
Obv: Laureate head of Italia left, VITELIV = ITALIA in Oscan script
Rev: Soldier standing facing, head right, foot on uncertain object, holding inverted spear and sword, recumbent bull to right facing; retrograde B in exergue.
Ref: Campana 122 (same dies); HN Italy 407
Ex: Eucharius Collection.

 

Back again to look....I need a Marsic denarii.

 

Yes you do, Nathan. And I need a cool EL Carthage... searching... searching...

 

Guy, also keep in mind that Central Italy during the Samnite Wars were using Aes Rude, Formatum, and nearby Magna Graecia AE and AR coinage for transactions. They were more agrarian and trade oriented in transactions. Additionally, the Samnite people were under Roman Rule, but each Treaty were negotiated separately by Rome with the Allies. Many times the Allies had almost an autonomous relationship, only required to supply Troops and Tribute for their agreement... Samnium was always a tenuous agreement. As you pointed out, although they stuck with Rome during the 2nd Punic War, they went on to fight Rome during the Social War within the Marsic Confederation.

 

brennus... minor nit, but, is there any roman evidence for the name, or was that a mediaeval invention by geoffrey of monmouth?

 

Here's a couple Social War denarii for you:

 

Always have really liked your Marsic issues... Great coins.

Like your first one, I also have the Eight Tribes swearing an oath. (Awesome coin, solemn, commitment to fight the Romans! - Kinda the precurser to "Iacta Alea Est")

I also have the Seated Italia crowned by Victory reverse...


This one is considered very rare.

 

Nice Alegandron! I picked up a variant, and I think perhaps less rare example, just a few weeks ago. I'll have to check Campana to see on yours.

 

Mine is: retrograde B(?) in exergue. Campana 105 (same obverse die); Sear 228 w/ control mark inverted B (my book); HN Italy 412a. 3.60g, 20mm, 8h

And, hey!, you need to free that guy!

Curious: do you have a Campana online link?

 

Oh, it's free. First thing I did when I got home.

https://www.cointalk.com/threads/bellum-sociale-denarius-step-by-step-instructions.278251/

I'm not aware that it's online anywhere. I've got the book which is really hard to find and expensive. Kolbe Fanning had one recently for like $400. I'll look yours up this weekend.