Apulia
Ancient Coins (other than Roman) from Italy including Magna Graecia in the Forum Ancient Coins shop
There 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 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, etc., 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were superseded by bronze coins of the Roman sextantal and uncial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 semuncia (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.
BRONZE.
| Head of Zeus, ΔΑΙΟΥ. |
ΑΡΠΑΝΩΝ Kalydonian boar and spear
head. Ζ Size .8
|
| Head of Apollo. ΕΙΝΜΑΝ [Berlin Cat., p. 182.] |
ΑΡΠΑΝΩ[Ν] Lion, above, pentagram:
copied from coin of Velia. Ζ Size .8
|
| Bust of Artemis. [Berlin Cat. p. 183.] |
ΕΙΝΜΑΝ Fulmen. Ζ Size .55
|
| Rushing bull, ΠΟΥΛΛΙ or
ΠΥΛΛΟΥ or ΠΥΛΛΥ |
ΑΡΠΑΝΟΥ Prancing horse. Ζ Size .8
|
| Head of Athena in Corinthian helmet. |
ΑΡΠΑΝΟΥ Grapes. Ζ Size .8
|
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:
| Horse 's head (Carelli, Pl. LXIII. 1). |
ΑΥ├ΥΣΚΛΙ Ear of corn. Ζ Size .75
|
| ΑΥ├ΥΣΚΛ Greyhound running r. on
round shield (Carelli, Pl. LXIII. 2). |
ΑΥ├Υ Ear of corn with leaf, as on
coins of Metapontum. Ζ Size .65
|
(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.
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 Berlin 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,
circa 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,
circa B.C. 300, with Greek types.
| Female head (Hunter Cat., 1. 55). |
ΓΡΥ Galloping horse. Ζ size .5
|
| Male head diademed. |
Rushing bull. Ζ size .6 |
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 inscription is, however, somewhat
doubtful, and the attribution conjectural.
| ΟΡΔΑΝΩΝ Head of young Herakles
in lion 's skin.
| Ear of corn; in field, club; magistrate 's
name ΤΡΕΒΙΟΥ. Ζ size .5
|
[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).
| As. Head of Herakles. |
Horse prancing; above, star.
|
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.
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.
Neapolis Peucetiae (Polignano ?), on the Adriatic Coast east of Caelia,
a town not mentioned by any writer. The attribution rests upon the
evidence of numerous finds.
Bronze, with Greek types, circ. B.C. 300 or later.
For other varieties see Berlin 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.
BRONZE.
Salapia. (Salpi), the seaport of Arpi, Canusium, and Rubi, must have
been, during the Hannibalic, war, closely united, not only commercially
but politically, with those cities. Cf. the names ΔΑΖΟΥ and ΠΥΛΛΟΥ
on coins of Arpi, Rubi, and Salapia.
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 Berlin Cat., III. i. pp. 201 sqq., and
B. M. C., pp. 144 sqq.
Samadi (?) (Berlin Blδtt., 1868, p. 138). Site unknown. Bronze coins
of the third century B.C. Obv. Head of Athena in Corinthian helmet;
Rev. ΣΑΜΑΔΙ, around four or three crescents. Ζ .5. Attributed in
Journ. Int., vii. p. 389, to Sandalium in Pisidia.
Sidis (?). Site unknown. B. M. C., Italy, p. 395. Bronze coins
of the third century B.C. Obv. Head of Zeus; Rev. ΣΙΔΙΝΩΝ, Herakles
leaning on club in the attitude of the Farnese Herakles, as on coins of
Mateola. Size .55.
Teate (Chieti). The earliest coins of this Apulian town are bronze
pieces of the well-known Campanian types, with the Oscan inscr.
VΙΤ
ΙΙΤ. 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.
| Female head diademed.
[Berlin Cat., Pl. IX. 137.] |
TIATI Naked horseman crowning his
horse.
|
| |
Owl on olive-branch.
|
| Head of Athena. |
Herakles and lion.
|
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 Berlin Cat., III. i. pp. 204 sqq.
Venusia. (Venosa), on the confines of Apulia and Lucania, was captured 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).
1st Series. Aes grave of a Libral system. Circ. B.C. 292-268 (?).
2nd Series. Struck coins of reduced
Weight, after circ. B.C. 268 (?).
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 sqq.
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