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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Justin Lee, post: 3200358, member: 87404&quot;]I just got this coin delivered and spent a portion of the morning IDing it.</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="2">[From CNG et al]:</font></p><p><i>&quot;The Mamertinoi (&quot;sons of Mars&quot; or <i>Mamertines</i>) were a force of Oscan mercenaries who attacked and captured the city of Messana. The Mamertines were Campanian mercenaries who had been hired by Agathokles of Syracuse. After his death in 289 they found themselves at loose ends; some returned home but others decided to stay on in Sicily. In an act of base treachery they took the city of Messana in 288, killing the men and dividing the women among themselves. They then began preying on all nearby cities and became serious pests in general, so much so that they were attacked by Hieron II of Syracuse. Hieron defeated them but was forced to withdraw when the Mamertines received aid from Carthage. Tiring of Carthaginian control, the Mamertines appealed to Rome: this action led to the First Punic War (264-241) in which Rome ultimately defeated Carthage and gained both naval superiority and control over most of Sicily. During this period the Mamertines disappeared, most being either killed or assimilated. Their coin types celebrated their martial qualities: on the obverse is Ares/Mars, god of war, and on the reverse we have a warrior Dioskouros (one of the twins) and his horse.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>At the end of the First Punic War it was a free city allied with Rome. In Roman times Messina, then known as Messana, had an important pharos (lighthouse). Messana was the base of Sextus Pompeius, during his war against Octavian .&quot;</i></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]828119[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Sicily, Messana, The Mamertinoi (211-208 BC)</b></p><p><b>AE Pentonkion</b></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Laureate head of Ares left, helmet to right.</p><p><b>Reverse:</b> MAMEPTINΩN. Nude Dioskouros (or warrior) standing left, holding spear and leading horse left placing hand on head of horse; Π (mark of value) to left.</p><p><b>References:</b> Sear 1143, SNG ANS 427</p><p><b>Size:</b> 26mm, 12.9g</p><p><br /></p><p>Do you have one like this?&nbsp; Or another one from Messana or the Mamertinoi?&nbsp; Please share![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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