Croton

Alliance issue with Pandosia. Nomos circa 500-480, AR 26 mm, 7.52 g. (koppa)PO Tripod, legs surmounted by wreaths and terminating in lion’s feet, set on base of three lines. Rev. ΠAN – OD retrograde Bull standing l., head reverted, in linear rectangle within incuse rectangle. BMC –. Attianese, Calabria Greca I, 280. SNG Ashmolean –, cf. 1034 (Bull r.). AMB –, cf. 205 (Bull r.). Kraay NC 1958 p. 33 and pl. III, 13 var. (orientation legend). Historia Numorum Italy –, cf. 2097 (Bull r.)
Of the highest rarity. An issue of tremendous fascination and historical importance.
Light iridescent tone and good very fine / very fine

From a Scandinavian private collection.
Although this intensely rare nomos is traditionally described as an issue struck by Croton in alliance with the city of Pandosia, considering the history of these cities and their shared neighbor, Sybaris, in the sixth century BC it seems somewhat more likely that it is a coin produced to demonstrate Crotoniate domination of Pandosia. The latter had originally been an indigenous Italic settlement on the Crathis River in northern Bruttium but by the eighth century BC it had been established as an Achaean Greek colony dependent on the great city of Sybaris. However, in c. 510 BC war broke out between Crotoniates and Sybarites resulting in victory for the Crotoniates. In the aftermath, Crotoniate forces destroyed Sybaris, expelled much of the city’s population, and annexed its territory. As a dependency of Sybaris, Pandosia appears to have fallen under the domination of Croton at this time. The city seems not to have gained its freedom from Croton until the late fifth century BC when Pandosia began to strike nomoi and fractions in its name alone