Your
Metapontum barley-ear
stater looks like there may have been a secondary symbol on the left on the
obverse, maybe a ram's
head or a shell. The barley-ear is a symbol revealed in the Eleusinian mysteries of Demeter, according to Hippolytus of
Alexandria (much of what we know of the mysteries is from Christians, who after becoming
Christian, were not shy about revealing details of the mysteries). A barley grain is possibly the symbol for
Persephone (
Kore), who goes under the earth (to Hades), and then returns again. Kind-a-like the Traffic song, "John Barleycorn must die." I think that they must have
had a version of the Eleusinian mysteries at
Metapontum.
I think this stuff is so cool! congratulations!