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Zeugetana
Misanthropus:
This coin, I was told, could be explained from reading Vergil. The people escaped, and a prophecy had it that they would establish a new community where they found a horse. In North Africa, the Punic people stopped at an oasis and discovered a buried horse's head. Does anyone know more? This specimen came from a respected numismatist and is attributed SG 6491, SNG Cop 141; it measures 20 mm. and weighs 7.47 gm.
Misanthropus:
Here is the horse again, with a palm tree (perhaps the prophesied place of encampment) and the star (indicating the prophecy itself, a chance of survival/hope?). No legend on either side!
Peattie:
Tradition has it that the city of Carthage was founded by Dido, a Phoenician queen, in the ninth century B.C. after her flight from Tyre. Arriving at the site of Carthage after a vision a priestess of Juno dug in the ground and discovered the head of a bullock. This was not a good omen as bullocks and oxen were servile animals. The priestess again dug and this time found a horse's head, a far better omen as a horse is symbolic of war and martial glory. A temple to Juno was built on the spot, and the figure of a horse's head was adopted by the Carthaginians and used on their coins.
You are therefore correct the horse relates to the legend of the founding of Carthage, Regarding the Palm, one possible answer is the Greek for palm tree I understand is
'phoinix", which was also their name for a Phoenician
Misanthropus:
I am appreciative of the information, Bolayi. I have read enough of Vergil to know about the horse's head, but I missed that part of the finding of the bullock's head. I was unaware, also, of the connection of "phoinix" with both "palm" and "Phoenician." I am afraid that I tend to stamp my Western preconception of symbolism on all that I see and that perhaps my idea of the importance of the star may be in error.
It strikes me that such finely executed coins would not be imprinted with casual images of just "this-and-that," whatever struck the celator's fancy, that each image had some significance, and to see these three images appear again and again must indicate deep significance. I write this and then reflect on the sterility of coins produced by the United States, "my owne countree"!
LordBest:
--- Quote from: Bolayi on January 13, 2004, 03:51:32 pm ---the figure of a horse's head was adopted by the Carthaginians and used on their coins.
--- End quote ---
That why the coin mafia leave Punic tetradrachms in peoples beds. 8)
LordBest. 8)
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