Ex De Ciccio, Vogel, Gillet, and Arnaud Collections
SICILY, Lilybaion (as ‘Cape of Melkart’). Circa 330-305 BC. AR Tetradrachm (24mm, 16.85 g, 12h). Charioteer, holding kentron in right hand, reins in left, driving fast quadriga left; above, crowning Nike flying right, crowning charioteer with wreath she holds with both hands / Head of Tanit left, wearing grain ear wreath, triple-pendent earring, and necklace; three dolphins around. Jenkins,
Punic 55 (O19/R42); SNG Lockett 742 (same dies); BMC 16 (same dies). EF, toned.
Ex Pierre Arnaud Collection (Hess-Divo 307, 8 June 2007), lot 1104; Münzen und Medaillen AG 54 (26 October 1978), lot 144; Charles Gillet Collection; Münzen und Medaillen AG 43 (12 November 1970), lot 60; A. Hess (7 March 1935), lot 251; A. Hess 209 (12 April 1932), lot 15; A. Hess 202 (28 October 1930), lot 2268; Hermann Vogel Collection (A. Hess 194, 1929), lot 131; J. Hirsch 34 (5 May 1914), lot 152; De Ciccio Collection (Sambon-Canessa, 19 December 1907), lot 488.
In the final decade of the 5th century BC the Carthaginians launched a series of invasions of Sicily, conquering much of the western half of the island and bringing devastation to many formerly flourishing Greek communities. The Punic presence lasted for a century and a half, until Rome's victory in the First Punic War obliged them to withdraw. During their time of occupation, the Carthaginians struck an extensive coinage in Sicily for the purpose of financing their military operations and the maintenance of garrisons. The obverse and reverse types of the series are mostly influenced by Sicilian prototypes, particularly those of Syracuse, except for the later series with the head of Herakles on the obverse which was obviously influenced by the well-recognized coinage of Alexander the Great. While a few of the series are struck at cities with established mints, such as Lilybaion, Motya, and Panormos, these are often viewed as minor or campaign mints that operated for a short duration. The location of the primary Punic mint (or mints) on Sicily, has been the subject of great debate. Most recently I. Lee surveyed the preexisting literature and took a fresh look at the full spectrum of evidence, persuasively concluding that this mint was located at Entella (”Entella: The Silver Coinage of the Campanian Mercenaries and the First Carthaginian Mint 410-409 BC” in NC 2000).
This lovely specimen, struck at Lilybaion, was certainly influenced by the famous series of Syracuse tetradrachms, which were a well-established currency and featured types that were easily assimilated to the Carthaginian culture. The chariot-racing scene featured on the obverse is a nearly universal type that would appeal to most wealthy poleis around the Mediterranean. The reverse, which is interpreted as Kore/Persephone at Syracuse, would be seen by the Carthaginians as representing their primary diety, Tanit, who regularly appeared on most of their coins. A celestial divinity with some fertility aspects, she was the North African equivalent of Astarte. Tanit is always depicted on Carthaginian coinage wearing a wreath of grain which may have been borrowed from Demeter and Persephone as the Carthaginians assimilated the Sicilian culture into their own during the various Punic excursions to the island.
