Although from the late 6th century BC relations between Rome and Carthage had always been maintained on a friendly basis, Rome's growing influence in Magna Graecia in the early decades of the third century BC led inevitably to an increasing rivalry between the two powers. The Italian state was being drawn inexorably into the bitter politics of the centuries-old dispute between Greeks and Carthaginians in Sicily. This magnificent medallic piece was issued at about the time of the outbreak of the First Punic War which, after almost a quarter of a century of fighting, was to bring about the end of the Carthaginian presence on the island. Find spots for these coins have been exclusively Sicilian, and they were presumably struck for military purposes. Although horses had always been popular on Carthaginian and Siculo-Punic issues, the depiction of the winged Pegasos represented a departure from tradition. The influence of the Corinthian coinage and that of her colony Syracuse seems obvious. The typically enigmatic Punic inscription translates “in the land,” and the Carthaginian stronghold of Panormos on the north coast of western Sicily has been proposed as the mint for this impressive series.
SICILY, Siculo-Punic. Circa 264-260 BC. Circa 264-260 BC. AR 5 Shekels - Dekadrachm (37.54 gm). Time of the First Punic War. Head of Tanit left, wearing single pendant earring and wreath of grain ears / Pegasos flying right. Jenkins IV, Series 6, 440 (O2"/R9); SNG Copenhagen 180 (same obverse die); DeLuynes 3758 (same dies).
