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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bart9349, post: 2418720, member: 5682&quot;]Great coin and history.</p><p><br /></p><p>I think that the Samnite Wars (343 BCE and later) were less an example of Roman aggression than they were a defensive Roman struggle.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is there little wonder why the Romans reacted so vigorously to Samnite aggression, either real or imagined?</p><p><br /></p><p>... back to your coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>It was minted after the Third Samnite war (290 BCE) was concluded and the Samnite tribes had submitted to Roman rule.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Similar coins:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/frentani/larinum/t.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/frentani/larinum/t.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/frentani/larinum/t.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Question:</p><p><br /></p><p>I believe Samnite coins of this later period appear to have Latin inscriptions instead of the native Oscan language.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.sanniti.info/smliny.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.sanniti.info/smliny.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.sanniti.info/smliny.html</a></p><p><br /></p><p>If this is true, it probably reflects further Samnite submission to the more powerful Roman Latin culture?</p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]500824[/ATTACH]</p><p>(Not my coin. Image and information from Wikipedia)</p><p>Silver <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denarius" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denarius" rel="nofollow">denarius</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinage_of_the_Social_War_(91%E2%80%9388_BC)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coinage_of_the_Social_War_(91%E2%80%9388_BC)" rel="nofollow">coinage of the Marsian Confederation</a>, during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_War_(91%E2%80%9388_BC)" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_War_(91%E2%80%9388_BC)" rel="nofollow">Social War</a> (89 BC). The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_writing" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_writing" rel="nofollow">retrograde</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend" rel="nofollow">legend</a> right (UILETIV [víteliú = <i>Italia</i>]) is in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscan_language" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscan_language" rel="nofollow">Osca</a>n</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Thank you for the fascinating coin.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>guy[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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