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Silver 5 Asses Hippocamp facing left
| Issuer | Lucania |
|---|---|
| Year | 301 BC - 275 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 14 mm |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse bears the value mark consistent with early Lucanian bronze-standard coinage, presented within a plain, unadorned field typical of archaic South Italian hammered coinage of the late fourth to early third century BC. The surface shows the characteristic irregular flan shape and rough texture produced by the hand-striking process of the period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Metapontum's silver fractions from this period reflect the city's precarious position during the Pyrrhic War, when Greek colonies across Lucania were forced to choose sides — or simply survive — between Rome's expanding reach and Pyrrhus of Epirus's intervention from 280 BC onward. Metapontum backed Pyrrhus, a gamble that left the city economically and politically diminished after his withdrawal from Italy in 275 BC.
The hippocamp type on Lucanian fractions of this denomination has a notably compressed production window, with most examples attributable to a handful of obverse dies — suggesting limited, possibly emergency issue rather than sustained mint output.