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BRUTTIUM, Rhegion
Circa 415/410-387 BC
AR Tetradrachm
Obverse: Facing lion's head
Reverse: Laureate head of Apollo right, olive sprig behind
cf.: Herzfelder 81 (D49/R68); SNG ANS 657; HN Italy 2496.
Bruttium is an ancient region of southern Italy, roughly corresponding to modern Calabria, the “toe” of the Italian peninsula. Bruttium faced Sicily across the Strait of Messina. Inhabited in the interior by the Brutii (whose chief town was Cosenza) and by the Lucani, it was settled in the 8th century B.C. along the coast by Greek colonists. The Romans conquered Bruttium in the 3d cent. B.C. One of the most powerful cities in the region was Rhegium, also spelled Regium. The ancient city of Rhegium (modern Reggio di Calabria) is strategically located on the Strait of Messina. Founded (c.720 B.C.) as a colony of Chalcis, many Messenians later settled there. Although its location was the source of its wealth, it also resulted in repeated invasions. The city remained powerful until its defeat and destruction in 386 B.C. by Dionysius the Elder of Syracuse. Later on it would be revived to its former glory under the stability of the Roman Empire.
How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who touched the coin before us, or where the coin will venture to after us. More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time and place, whether currency in the age we live or an artifact of a long forgotten empire. This stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking in contemporary machine-made currencies. This coin is more than an artifact; it is a memorial an ancient city passed down from the hands of one generation to another, from one civilization to another.
- (C.2063)
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