Sicily, Entella. Silver Tetradrachm (17.43 g), ca. 300-289 BC. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion's skin headdress. Reverse: 'MMHNT, Horse's head left; behind, palm tree. Jenkins 290 (O93/R238); McClean 3047 (same dies). A perfectly centered and well struck example. Lustrous and superb. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $2,000 - UP
The Punic inscription on this coin names "the People of the Camp" and leaves no doubt about its use to pay the numerous foreign (primarily Italic) mercenaries that swelled the armies of Carthage during its conflict with the Greek cities for dominance on Sicily. "People of the Camp" issues are usually attributed to Entella, a frequent stronghold of Campanian mercenaries in the fourth and third centuries BC. The obverse of the coin features a depiction of Herakles drawn from the popular tetradrachms of Alexnder the Great - a type widely accepted by foreign mercenaries throughout the Mediterranean world - while the reverse features the head of a horse and a palm tree. The palm tree ( phoinix in greek) alludes to the Phoenician origin of the Punic peoples of North Africa while the horse refers to the somewhat bizarre tradition that Carthage was founded by the Tyrian queen Dido on a hill where the head of a horse was unearthed.