CALABRIA, TARENTUM
AR Didrachm (Nomos) – 281–272 BC
Silver | 22 mm | 7.61 g
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This impressive silver didrachm was struck in Tarentum (modern Taranto, Southern Italy) between 281 and 272 BC, during the turbulent years of the Pyrrhic War.
Obverse
A nude horseman wearing a helmet gallops right, raising a spear in his right hand while holding a large round shield and additional spears in his left. Behind him appears the inscription ΣΙ, and below, ΛΥΚΟΝ (likely the name of a magistrate or engraver).
The dynamic cavalry scene reflects Tarentum’s renowned equestrian strength and aristocratic warrior culture.
Reverse
Phalantos, the mythical founder of Tarentum, rides a dolphin left, holding a small dolphin in his right hand. The ethnic ΤΑΡΑΣ appears above.
The dolphin rider symbolizes Tarentum’s maritime power and legendary origins, as Phalantos was said to have been saved by a dolphin and guided to the site of the future city.
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📚 References
•Vlasto 695
•HN Italy 967
•SNG ANS 1069–1070
•HGC 1, 816
Struck from worn dies.
Condition: Good Very Fine (gVF).
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🏛 Historical Importance
Tarentum was the most powerful Greek colony in Southern Italy.
This coin was struck during the time when the city called upon King Pyrrhus of Epirus to help resist Roman expansion.
Coins from this exact period represent one of the last great phases of Magna Graecia before Roman domination.