ApuliaThere is reason to believe that the coinage of Tarentum was current in Apulia throughout the period of the Tarentine dominion in those parts, and that the silver unit of Tarentum (perhaps the diobol of 22 grs.) remained the silver unit in Apulia when the Apulian towns began to coin silver money of their own; for the well-known type of the Tarentine diobol, Herakles strangling the lion, recurs on diobols of Arpi, Caelia, Rubi, and Teate. The didrachms and drachms of Teate have also types 44
borrowed from Tarentum. On the equivalent in bronze of the Tarentine
coin of 22 grs. the aes grave of Apulia, and perhaps of all the provinces
situate to the east of the Apennines, may possibly have been based. In
all these countries the weight of the As exceeds that of the Roman
pound.
The currency of Apulia from the earlier part of the third century B.C. consisted (i) Of silver diobols and didrachms of Tarentum, ultimately replaced by local Apulian silver issued at Arpi, Caelia, Canusium, Rubi, and Teate. The didrachms both at Arpi and at Teate were assimilated in weight to those of Campania, while the smaller divisions seem to be either Tarentine diobols of light weight or Roman scruples of circ. 17 grs. (ii) Of libral aes grave of Luceria and Venusia. About B.C. 250 the aes grave of these two towns underwent a reduction which may be compared with the semi-libral reduction at Rome. (iii) Meanwhile at Arpi, Ausculum, Canusium, Herdoniae (?), Hyrium. Neapolis, Rubi, Salapia, &c., bronze coins continued to be struck after the Greek fashion, with Greek inscriptions and without marks of value. (iv) Little by little, under Roman influence, these Greek bronze coins were superseded by bronze coins of the Roman sextantal and uncial systems, with marks of value, struck chiefly at Barium, Caelia, Luceria, Teate, and Venusia, the denominations being the double nummus (N. II.), the nummus (N), the quincunx (), the triens (), the quadrans (), the sextans (), the sescuncia ( S), the uncia (), and the sem- uncia (Σ). Arpi (Arpa). This town during the second Samnite war concluded an alliance with Rome, B.C. 326 (Livy ix. 13). In the war with Pyrrhus, it was again on the side of Rome, but after the battle of Cannae (B.C. 217) it passed over to the side of Hannibal until B.C. 213, when it was recovered by the Romans.
SILVER.
FIG. 22.
45
BRONZE.
All these coins are of the third century. The legend ΕΙΝΜΑΝ is unexplained. The coins reading ΔΑΖΟΥ are supposed to have been issued by Altinius Dasius, ruler of Arpi during the Hannibalic war. The names of Dasius and of Pyllus occur also on contemporary coins of Salapia, and that of Dasius on coins of Rubi. Ausculum (Ascoli), an inland Apulian town, is first mentioned in the account of the battle between Pyrrhus and the Romans, B.C. 279. For a series of aes grave which may belong to this town see Asculum Piceni. The coins which belong certainly to Ausculum bear inscriptions, ΑΥ├ΥΣΚΛΙ, &c., which show that the original form of the name was Ausculum, not Asculum. Its coinage is wholly of bronze, and is of two distinct periods:
(i) Before B.C. 300, of good style.
(ii) Circ. B.C. 300-200, of base style.
Azetium, a small town about eight miles south-east of Caelia. Bronze coins of the third century B.C.
Barium (Bari), on the Adriatic coast, near Caelia. Struck bronze coins of the end of the third century with marks of value. The Sextans and Uncia weigh about 90 and 45 grs. respectively, but as they are doubtless only token coins their weight is of no special interest.
46
Butuntum (Bitonto), a small town between Rubi and Barium. Bronze coins of the third century B.C., with types borrowed chiefly from older coins of Metapontum and Tarentum. Inscr. ΒΥΤΟΝΤΙΝΩΝ :
Caelia, about eight miles inland from Barium. Small silver coins of the third century B.C.
Struck bronze, with marks of value, circ. B.C. 268-200.
For other types see B. M. C., Italy, p. 134, and Berl. Cat., III. i. pp. 185 sqq. Canusium (Canosa), on the river Aufidus, about eight miles from its mouth, was one of the chief towns of Apulia. Silver and bronze coins, circ. B.C. 300; also bronze coins, with marks of value, of the end of the third century.
Grumum (Grumo), about fourteen miles SW. of Barium. Bronze, circ. B.C. 300, with Greek types.
47
Herdoniae (?), midway between Ausculum and the sea, was destroyed by Hannibal circa B.C. 210, shortly before which event it may have issued the following bronze coins. The inscr. is, however, somewhat doubtful, and the attribution conjectural.
[Imhoof, Mon. gr., Pl. A. 14.] Hyrium or Uria. (Rodi) was a maritime town situated on the northern side of the promontory of Garganum. Its coins are of bronze, without marks of value, and belong apparently to the latter part of the third century.
Luceria. (Lucera) after various vicissitudes fell finally into the hands of the Romans in B.C. 314. Its coinage consists of aes grave of a Libral system, circ. B.C. 314-268, and of two other series in part contemporary with one another and with the Roman Sextantal and Uncial reductions. The difficult question of the chronology and metrology of the various issues of the autonomous and Roman mints at Luceria is discussed by H. Grueber in Corolla Numismatica, pp. 115 sqq.
1st Series. Aes grave, Libral system, B.C. 314-268 (1).
2nd Series. Aes grave, of reduced weight, after B.C. 268.
All the other denominations as in Series 1, but with the addition of the letter on the reverse.
3rd Series. Struck coins. Sextantal System (?) before B.C. 217.
48
In addition to these autonomous coins of Luceria there is a series of Roman coins, both silver and copper, with the inscription RΟΜΑ and the mint-mark of Luceria (), which we may call Romano-Lucerian (see Grueber, loc. cit.). Mateola. (Pliny, iii. 11, s. 16.) Perhaps the modern Matera, near the frontiers of Lucania. On the attribution of the following coins see Berlin Cat., III. i. 195.
Bronze coins with marks of value; circ. B.C. 250-217.
Bronze, with Greek types, circ. B.C. 300 or later.
For other varieties see Berl. Cat., III. i. 196. Rubi (Rubastini), between Canusium and Butuntum, is one of the few Apulian towns of which silver coins are known. There are also bronze coins of late style.
SILVER. Third century B.C.
49
BRONZE.
BRONZE. Third century B.C.
For varieties of coins of Salapia and magistrates names, ΔΑΖΟΥ, ΠΥΛΛΟΥ, ΠΛΩΤΙΟΥ, ΔΟΜΥΛΑR (?), ΤΡΩΔΑΝΤΙΟΥ, and others more or less fragmentary or uncertain, see Berl. Cat., III. i. pp. 201 sqq., and B. M. C., pp. 144 sqq. Teate (Chieti). The earliest coins of this Apulian town are bronze pieces of the well-known Campanian types, with the Oscan inscr. VΙΤΙΙΤ. Obv. Head of Apollo; Rev. Man-headed bull, above which, fulmen or lyre. Ζ size .7 (Friedlander, Osk. Mόnzen, Pl. VI. 1). Cf. similar coins at Teanum Sidicinum and Larinum, pp. 28 and 42. They may be earlier than B.C. 268, and are followed by silver and bronze coins with the Latin inscr. TIATI. The silver didrachms are of the Campano-Tarentine type, and weigh on the average about 110 grs.
SILVER. Circ. B.C. 300, or later.
50
Next in order of date comes a series of bronze coins with marks of value, and of weights which seem to correspond with those of the Roman Uncial reduction, circ. B.C. 217.
BRONZE. Circ. B.C. 217.
For other varieties see Berl. Cat., III. i. pp. 204 sqq. Venusia. (Venosa), on the confines of Apulia and Lucania, was cap- tured and colonized by Rome, B.C. 292. It was a stronghold of the Romans in the war with Hannibal. Its coinage may be compared with that of Luceria, with which it is contemporary. It consists of the following series, of which the first has been assigned to Venusia chiefly on account of the provenance of the specimens (Mommsen-Blacas, I. p. 349).
Aes grave of uncertain systems, with VΕ in monogram.
2nd Series. Struck coins of reduced Weight, after circ. B.C. 268 (?).
51
3rd Series. Struck coins probably contemporary with the Roman
coins of Sextantal and Uncial reductions.
Circ. B.C. 268-217 and later.
4th Series. Struck coins, uncertain system.
For fuller descriptions see Berlin Cat., III. i. pp. 208 sq q. | ApuliaThere is reason to believe that the coinage of Tarentum was current in Apulia throughout the period of the Tarentine dominion in those parts, and that the silver unit of Tarentum (perhaps the diobol of 22 grs.) remained the silver unit in Apulia when the Apulian towns began to coin silver money of their own; for the well-known type of the Tarentine diobol, Herakles strangling the lion, recurs on diobols of Arpi, Caelia, Rubi, and Teate. The didrachms and drachms of Teate have also types 44
borrowed from Tarentum. On the equivalent in bronze of the Tarentine
coin of 22 grs. the aes grave of Apulia, and perhaps of all the provinces
situate to the east of the Apennines, may possibly have been based. In
all these countries the weight of the As exceeds that of the Roman
pound.
The currency of Apulia from the earlier part of the third century B.C. consisted (i) Of silver diobols and didrachms of Tarentum, ultimately replaced by local Apulian silver issued at Arpi, Caelia, Canusium, Rubi, and Teate. The didrachms both at Arpi and at Teate were assimilated in weight to those of Campania, while the smaller divisions seem to be either Tarentine diobols of light weight or Roman scruples of circ. 17 grs. (ii) Of libral aes grave of Luceria and Venusia. About B.C. 250 the aes grave of these two towns underwent a reduction which may be compared with the semi-libral reduction at Rome. (iii) Meanwhile at Arpi, Ausculum, Canusium, Herdoniae (?), Hyrium. Neapolis, Rubi, Salapia, &c., bronze coins continued to be struck after the Greek fashion, with Greek inscriptions and without marks of value. (iv) Little by little, under Roman influence, these Greek bronze coins were superseded by bronze coins of the Roman sextantal and uncial systems, with marks of value, struck chiefly at Barium, Caelia, Luceria, Teate, and Venusia, the denominations being the double nummus (N. II.), the nummus (N), the quincunx (), the triens (), the quadrans (), the sextans (), the sescuncia ( S), the uncia (), and the sem- uncia (Σ). Arpi (Arpa). This town during the second Samnite war concluded an alliance with Rome, B.C. 326 (Livy ix. 13). In the war with Pyrrhus, it was again on the side of Rome, but after the battle of Cannae (B.C. 217) it passed over to the side of Hannibal until B.C. 213, when it was recovered by the Romans.
SILVER.
FIG. 22.
45
BRONZE.
All these coins are of the third century. The legend ΕΙΝΜΑΝ is unexplained. The coins reading ΔΑΖΟΥ are supposed to have been issued by Altinius Dasius, ruler of Arpi during the Hannibalic war. The names of Dasius and of Pyllus occur also on contemporary coins of Salapia, and that of Dasius on coins of Rubi. Ausculum (Ascoli), an inland Apulian town, is first mentioned in the account of the battle between Pyrrhus and the Romans, B.C. 279. For a series of aes grave which may belong to this town see Asculum Piceni. The coins which belong certainly to Ausculum bear inscriptions, ΑΥ├ΥΣΚΛΙ, &c., which show that the original form of the name was Ausculum, not Asculum. Its coinage is wholly of bronze, and is of two distinct periods:
(i) Before B.C. 300, of good style.
(ii) Circ. B.C. 300-200, of base style.
Azetium, a small town about eight miles south-east of Caelia. Bronze coins of the third century B.C.
Barium (Bari), on the Adriatic coast, near Caelia. Struck bronze coins of the end of the third century with marks of value. The Sextans and Uncia weigh about 90 and 45 grs. respectively, but as they are doubtless only token coins their weight is of no special interest.
46
Butuntum (Bitonto), a small town between Rubi and Barium. Bronze coins of the third century B.C., with types borrowed chiefly from older coins of Metapontum and Tarentum. Inscr. ΒΥΤΟΝΤΙΝΩΝ :
Caelia, about eight miles inland from Barium. Small silver coins of the third century B.C.
Struck bronze, with marks of value, circ. B.C. 268-200.
For other types see B. M. C., Italy, p. 134, and Berl. Cat., III. i. pp. 185 sqq. Canusium (Canosa), on the river Aufidus, about eight miles from its mouth, was one of the chief towns of Apulia. Silver and bronze coins, circ. B.C. 300; also bronze coins, with marks of value, of the end of the third century.
Grumum (Grumo), about fourteen miles SW. of Barium. Bronze, circ. B.C. 300, with Greek types.
47
Herdoniae (?), midway between Ausculum and the sea, was destroyed by Hannibal circa B.C. 210, shortly before which event it may have issued the following bronze coins. The inscr. is, however, somewhat doubtful, and the attribution conjectural.
[Imhoof, Mon. gr., Pl. A. 14.] Hyrium or Uria. (Rodi) was a maritime town situated on the northern side of the promontory of Garganum. Its coins are of bronze, without marks of value, and belong apparently to the latter part of the third century.
Luceria. (Lucera) after various vicissitudes fell finally into the hands of the Romans in B.C. 314. Its coinage consists of aes grave of a Libral system, circ. B.C. 314-268, and of two other series in part contemporary with one another and with the Roman Sextantal and Uncial reductions. The difficult question of the chronology and metrology of the various issues of the autonomous and Roman mints at Luceria is discussed by H. Grueber in Corolla Numismatica, pp. 115 sqq.
1st Series. Aes grave, Libral system, B.C. 314-268 (1).
2nd Series. Aes grave, of reduced weight, after B.C. 268.
All the other denominations as in Series 1, but with the addition of the letter on the reverse.
3rd Series. Struck coins. Sextantal System (?) before B.C. 217.
48
In addition to these autonomous coins of Luceria there is a series of Roman coins, both silver and copper, with the inscription RΟΜΑ and the mint-mark of Luceria (), which we may call Romano-Lucerian (see Grueber, loc. cit.). Mateola. (Pliny, iii. 11, s. 16.) Perhaps the modern Matera, near the frontiers of Lucania. On the attribution of the following coins see Berlin Cat., III. i. 195.
Bronze coins with marks of value; circ. B.C. 250-217.
Bronze, with Greek types, circ. B.C. 300 or later.
For other varieties see Berl. Cat., III. i. 196. Rubi (Rubastini), between Canusium and Butuntum, is one of the few Apulian towns of which silver coins are known. There are also bronze coins of late style.
SILVER. Third century B.C.
49
BRONZE.
BRONZE. Third century B.C.
For varieties of coins of Salapia and magistrates names, ΔΑΖΟΥ, ΠΥΛΛΟΥ, ΠΛΩΤΙΟΥ, ΔΟΜΥΛΑR (?), ΤΡΩΔΑΝΤΙΟΥ, and others more or less fragmentary or uncertain, see Berl. Cat., III. i. pp. 201 sqq., and B. M. C., pp. 144 sqq. Teate (Chieti). The earliest coins of this Apulian town are bronze pieces of the well-known Campanian types, with the Oscan inscr. VΙΤΙΙΤ. Obv. Head of Apollo; Rev. Man-headed bull, above which, fulmen or lyre. Ζ size .7 (Friedlander, Osk. Mόnzen, Pl. VI. 1). Cf. similar coins at Teanum Sidicinum and Larinum, pp. 28 and 42. They may be earlier than B.C. 268, and are followed by silver and bronze coins with the Latin inscr. TIATI. The silver didrachms are of the Campano-Tarentine type, and weigh on the average about 110 grs.
SILVER. Circ. B.C. 300, or later.
50
Next in order of date comes a series of bronze coins with marks of value, and of weights which seem to correspond with those of the Roman Uncial reduction, circ. B.C. 217.
BRONZE. Circ. B.C. 217.
For other varieties see Berl. Cat., III. i. pp. 204 sqq. Venusia. (Venosa), on the confines of Apulia and Lucania, was cap- tured and colonized by Rome, B.C. 292. It was a stronghold of the Romans in the war with Hannibal. Its coinage may be compared with that of Luceria, with which it is contemporary. It consists of the following series, of which the first has been assigned to Venusia chiefly on account of the provenance of the specimens (Mommsen-Blacas, I. p. 349).
Aes grave of uncertain systems, with VΕ in monogram.
2nd Series. Struck coins of reduced Weight, after circ. B.C. 268 (?).
51
3rd Series. Struck coins probably contemporary with the Roman
coins of Sextantal and Uncial reductions.
Circ. B.C. 268-217 and later.
4th Series. Struck coins, uncertain system.
For fuller descriptions see Berlin Cat., III. i. pp. 208 sq q. |