Department of Archaeology and Ancient History The last coin of Taras? A study of a late Tarentine coin in the collections of the Uppsala University Coin Cabinet Karl Appelgren BA thesis 15 credits in Classical archaeology and ancient history Spring term 2021 Supervisors: Filmo Verhagen & Ragnar Hedlund Abstract Appelgren K. 2021. The last coin of Taras? A study of a late Tarentine coin in the collections of the Uppsala University Coin Cabinet. Appelgren K. 2021. Taras’ sista mynt? En undersökning av ett sent tarentinskt mynt i Uppsala universitets myntkabinetts samlingar. In this thesis, a coin from the Hannibalic occupation of Taras is analysed and discussed. The method applied in the analysis is Panofsky’s iconological method, and the theoretical framework has been derived from the research questions themselves in dialogue with modern numismatic research. The focus of the discussion is on the relationship between the coin and its historical context. In the thesis, it is argued that the coin is a didrachm with heavily reduced weight, and that the weight reduction is a result of the financial difficulties caused by the Second Punic War. Denna uppsats är en analys av ett mynt from Hannibals ockupation av Taras. Den metod som tillämpas i analysdelen är Panofskys ikonologiska metod. Det teoretiska ramverket har sin utgångspunkt i uppsatsens frågeställning, och har utarbetats i dialog med modern numismatisk forskning. Diskussionsdelen fokuserar på förhållandet mellan myntet och dess historiska kontext. I uppsatsen framförs argument för att myntet är en didrachm med kraftigt reducerad vikt, och att viktreduktionen är en följd av de finansiella svårigheter som orsakades av Andra puniska kriget. Keywords: Tarentine coinage, Second Punic War, Hannibalic occupation of Taras, Carthaginian influence, Roman conquest of Italy. BA thesis in Classical archaeology and ancient history 15 hp. Supervisors: Filmo Verhagen & Ragnar Hedlund. Defended and passed 2021-06-15. © Karl Appelgren Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Box 626, 75126 Uppsala, Sweden Front cover. Silver coin from the Hannibalic occupation of Taras, ca. 212–209 BC (the coin discussed in this thesis). Uppsala University Coin Cabinet. Inventory number: 400871. https://www.alvin- portal.org/alvin/attachment/download/alvin-record:190910/ATTACHMENT-0001.tiff Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Aim, goal, and research questions ............................................................................................. 1 1.2. Material ...................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Structure ..................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4. Historical background ................................................................................................................ 3 1.5. Theory ........................................................................................................................................ 4 1.6. Method ....................................................................................................................................... 5 1.7. Source criticism ......................................................................................................................... 5 2. Previous scholarship .......................................................................................................................... 7 3. Analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1. Pre-iconographical description .................................................................................................. 9 3.1.1. The obverse ........................................................................................................................ 9 3.1.2. The reverse ....................................................................................................................... 10 3.2. Iconographical analysis ........................................................................................................... 10 3.2.1. The obverse ...................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.2. The reverse ....................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.3. Weight standard ............................................................................................................... 13 3.2.4. Denomination ................................................................................................................... 14 3.3. Iconological interpretation ....................................................................................................... 15 4. Discussion ....................................................................................................................................... 18 5. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 21 6. Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 22 6.1. Ancient sources ........................................................................................................................ 22 6.2. Modern literature ..................................................................................................................... 22 7. List of illustrations .......................................................................................................................... 24 1. Introduction Between 218 and 201 BC, the Second Punic War raged in the Mediterranean. In the opening year of the war, Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca took the Romans by surprise by crossing the Alps into Italy. After the crushing defeat of the Romans at Cannae in 216 BC, Hannibal’s campaign settled in the southern part of the Italian peninsula, where it was to remain until 203 BC, when Hannibal was recalled to Africa by the Carthaginian senate.1 It has been argued that Hannibal invaded Italy with the hope of detaching Rome from its subordinate Italian allies.2 This strategy was only partly successful; whereas some Roman allies rebelled, others remained loyal to Rome. One city that did revolt was Taras, known to the Romans as Tarentum, the old Spartan colony that had formerly been one of the most influential powers in Italy. Interestingly, the revolt did not take place immediately after Cannae, but three and a half years later. In the winter of 213/12 BC, the city defected from Rome and joined forces with Hannibal. The Carthaginian takeover of the city was only partial, however, since the citadel remained in Roman hands throughout the war.3 Under these peculiar circumstances, coins were struck in the Tarentine mint. 1.1. Aim, goal, and research questions Even though the scholarship on the coinage of the Hannibalic occupation of Taras can be traced as far as to the latter half of the 19th century, the discussion has been limited to numismatic details. No study has yet given due notice to the relationship between the coinage and its historical context, which is in this case unusually complex. In this Greek city, coins were struck while the city was being occupied by Punic forces, although the Roman enemy was still in control of the citadel. Given these circumstances, it is astounding that the only comprehensive account of the coinage was given by Sir Arthur Evans in 1889.4 Later publications rely on him, often without adding much of their own. Whatever the merits of Evans’ work, it has a certain tinge of connoisseurship and is mainly focused on chronology and categorisation. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of how ancient coinage and economy were affected by crises. The goal of the thesis is to fill the gap outlined above and add numismatic evidence to the knowledge of the Hannibalic occupation of Taras. In the thesis, this is achieved through a qualitative analysis of a single Tarentine coin from the Uppsala University Coin Cabinet. To facilitate the fulfilment of the aim and the goal, the following research questions have been devised: • Why was the coin produced? • What impact did the Second Punic War and the Hannibalic occupation have on the shaping and production of the coin? There are, of course, no simple answers to such questions, which by nature call for discussion rather than a straightforward reply. For this reason, the following subset of questions have been 1 Livy 30.19.12. 2 Fronda 2010, 37. 3 Lomas 1993, 59–76. 4 Evans 1889. 1 added, whose specific character will facilitate the achievement of a tangible result and guide the analysis: • What is the coin’s denomination? • What weight standard underlies it? • Who was responsible for its production? • Who was the issuing authority? • Is there a Carthaginian influence on the coin? • Does the coin signal financial desperation? • Is it reasonable to interpret the coin as a sign of political independence? By this arrangement, the subordinate questions will function as a foundation for the discussion of the two main research