Silver Didrachm, Taras, 272-240 BCE
Type/Object Name: Ob: Horseman with shield and spear. Inscription ΦΙ (PHI) and HΡΑΚ / ΛΗΤΟΣ (HERAK / LETOS). | Re: Taras riding a dolphin, holding a kantharos in right hand and a cornucopia in left; thymiaterion on the right. Inscription ΤΑΡΑ (TARA = abbreviation of Taras).
Dates: 272-240 BCE
Medium: Silver, Didrachm
Dimensions: Diameter 18.4 mm, Weight 6.51 g
Credit Line: Courtesy of John Nebel
Notes: Taras (Tarentum) was a Greek colony founded on the inside of Italy’s heel in 707/6 BCE by the Spartan leader, Phalanthus. The obverse of this coin, like many of Taras’s coins, shows an armed warrior on horseback. This warrior is naked, suggesting he is a hero. The reverse of the coin refers to the city’s local mythology. Taras, the son of Poseidon, is shown riding a dolphin that his father sent to save him from a shipwreck. The cornucopia and wine cup he holds, along with the incense burner behind him, illustrate the city’s wealth.
Collection: Coin, John Nebel
Bibliography: SNG ANS 1208; Rutter, N.K. 2001. Historia Numorum Italy. Page 104 #1037 and Plate 20 #1037. London: The British Museum Press; Vlasto 891.