Our partner for world banknotes research
| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 165 | Auction date: 26 May 2026 |
| Lot number: 127 Price realized: 2,250 CHF (Approx. 2,852 USD / 2,460 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Calabria, Tarentum Nomos circa 465-455, AR 19 mm, 7.71 g. ΤΑΡΑΣ retrograde Dolphin rider r.; below, shell. Rev. Hippocamp l. Vlasto 132 (these dies). Fischer-Bossert 102. BMC 49 (these dies). SNG München 603 (these dies). Historia Numorum Italy 827. Rare. Lovely iridescent tone and about extremely fine Under the leadership of the Parthenian Phalanthos, the Partheniae (Spartan children born to unmarried women due to the Spartan desperation to ensure the survival and continuation of their demographic during the bloody Messenian wars) and Perioeci (subjects, but not citizens of Sparta) founded Tarentum, the only Spartan colony ever established, in 706 BC. Legend has it that Phalanthos sought advice from the oracle at Delphi, who advised him to establish his new city "where rain fell from a clear sky". After much searching and desperation over the lack of a suitable city site, Phalanthos was comforted by his wife Aethra, who held his head in her lap. As her tears fell on his forehead, he realised that the oracle had been correct because his wife's name meant "clear sky." He decided to build their new home on the nearby harbour, naming it after Taras, the son of Poseidon and the nymph Satyrion. As it had been since its founding, Tarentum was a monarchy at the time this coinage was created. Even though we do not know much about Tarentum's early government, the monarchy was most likely based on the one that ruled Sparta. Herodotus (III, 136) claims that around this time, the city was governed by a specific monarch named Aristophilides. There seems to have been a continuous series of conflicts between the Tarentines and the native Iapygian tribes (Messapians, Daunians, and Peucetii) that ruled the interior of the Apulian peninsula since the Greeks arrived in the area in the late eighth century BC. Due to these populations' opposition, Tarentine growth was thus restricted to the coast; this is reflected in their currency types, which are primarily marine in nature. With a combined army of about 8,000 men, including shield infantry, skirmishers, and their expert cavalry, the Messapians advanced against the Tarentines in 490 BC. Meanwhile, the Tarentines provided backup with 1,000 light infantry, 4,000 citizen hoplites, and a mix of cavalry with swords and light weapons. Although the Messapian cavalry was superior and the Tarentines were vastly outnumbered on foot, they survived the initial skirmishing and the Messapian charge outside the city walls. The Tarentines seem to have done a good job of representing their Spartan heritage in this battle, and they were able to claim victory and a brief reprieve from the Iapygian attacks. For almost two decades following this setback, the Iapygians would not again assault Tarentum; nevertheless, when they did, in 473, they would do so in great force. Estimate: 1000 CHF |  |
