Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XVI 26 Sep 2018
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
North Africa, Carthage AR Shekel. Circa 300-260 BC. Head of Tanit-Persephone left, wearing wreath of barley ears, pendant earring and necklace / Horse standing to right, head left, palm tree in background; eight-pointed star to right. SNG Copenhagen 141; Alexandropoulos 371, 36; Jenkins-Lewis pl. 26, 16. 7.67g, 20mm, 1h.
Good Extremely Fine; wonderful old cabinet tone. Rare, and of exceptional quality for the issue.
Ex Hess-Divo 329, 17 November 2015, lot 123 (hammer: 9,000 CHF);
Ex Maison Palombo 13, 13 December 2014, lot 42;
Ex Sternberg XI, 20 November 1981, lot 65.
This beautiful issue of shekels is rather rare, and like the ubiquitous electrum staters that are roughly contemporaneous, it is very difficult to find in a high state of preservation. Traditionally dated to a fairly broad date range of 300-260 BC, this issue was probably produced in response to one of the two major conflicts faced by Carthage in the first half of the 3rd century. In 278-275 Pyrrhos of Epeiros' waged a campaign against the Carthaginian territories in western Sicily, having received envoys from the Greek cities of the island, requesting his assistance. This campaign was initially successful; with a professional army of 20,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry and 20 war elephants, supported by some 200 ships he pushed back the Carthaginian forces and captured the city-fortress of Eryx. Carthage sued for peace, but though this was rejected by Pyrrhos, his ruthless treatment of the Sicilians had created such animosity that he was forced to withdraw back to Italy. The other great emergency that could have warranted the striking of such this issue was the outbreak of what would come to be known as the First Punic War in 264, which prompted Carthage to assemble a vast mercenary army to meet the Roman threat in Sicily - according to Philinos of Agrigentum this army comprised 50,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and 60 elephants including Ligurians, Celts and Iberians (see Polybius, The Histories, 1:17.4). Such a large mercenary army would entail a considerable outlay of money, and of the two possible circumstances for the striking of this issue, this latter war would seem the more logical.
Good Extremely Fine; wonderful old cabinet tone. Rare, and of exceptional quality for the issue.
Ex Hess-Divo 329, 17 November 2015, lot 123 (hammer: 9,000 CHF);
Ex Maison Palombo 13, 13 December 2014, lot 42;
Ex Sternberg XI, 20 November 1981, lot 65.
This beautiful issue of shekels is rather rare, and like the ubiquitous electrum staters that are roughly contemporaneous, it is very difficult to find in a high state of preservation. Traditionally dated to a fairly broad date range of 300-260 BC, this issue was probably produced in response to one of the two major conflicts faced by Carthage in the first half of the 3rd century. In 278-275 Pyrrhos of Epeiros' waged a campaign against the Carthaginian territories in western Sicily, having received envoys from the Greek cities of the island, requesting his assistance. This campaign was initially successful; with a professional army of 20,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry and 20 war elephants, supported by some 200 ships he pushed back the Carthaginian forces and captured the city-fortress of Eryx. Carthage sued for peace, but though this was rejected by Pyrrhos, his ruthless treatment of the Sicilians had created such animosity that he was forced to withdraw back to Italy. The other great emergency that could have warranted the striking of such this issue was the outbreak of what would come to be known as the First Punic War in 264, which prompted Carthage to assemble a vast mercenary army to meet the Roman threat in Sicily - according to Philinos of Agrigentum this army comprised 50,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and 60 elephants including Ligurians, Celts and Iberians (see Polybius, The Histories, 1:17.4). Such a large mercenary army would entail a considerable outlay of money, and of the two possible circumstances for the striking of this issue, this latter war would seem the more logical.