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this coin week ancient coin profile is
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brought to you by Atlas
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numismatics at its peak the ancient
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North African city of Carthage rivaled
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the Eternal City of Rome for military
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and economic control of the Western
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Mediterranean Sea today its ruins are a
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un world heritage site in the suburbs of
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Capital most people if they've heard of
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Carthage at all are familiar with
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Hannibal and his elephants who famously
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crossed the Alps to invade Italy during
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the Second Punic War in 218 to 201
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BCE or they might know about stories of
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child sacrifice to the God molok Among
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the ruling class and times of trouble
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though it's important to remember that
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almost everything we know about the
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carthaginians is based and the writings
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of their Victorious enemies according to
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Legend Queen Dao also known as Alisa
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founded the city in 814 BCE she was the
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daughter of the king of Ty a Phoenician
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City in the coast of modern-day Lebanon
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the Augustin age Roman poet and
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propagandist Virgil writing over a
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century and a half after the destruction
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of Carthage took some liberties with Dao
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story in his epic poem The anid instead
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of a native chieftain's Relentless
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pursuit of her hand in marriage it is
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the Trojan hero and ancestor of Rome
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anas who wins her heart only to abandon
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her as he sets sail for greatness in
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Italy the end result is the same Dao is
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said to have built an enormous funeral
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py at the top of which she committed
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suicide by falling on a sword only in
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Virtual story she curses anas with
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Everlasting conflict between Carthage
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and his descendants this serves as a
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mythological explanation for the
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bitterly fought Punic Wars waged between
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264 and 146 BCE when Carthage was
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finally defeated the city was raised to
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the ground and the Very Earth salted by
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Romans Carthage was a Phoenician colony
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and as such the carthaginians were
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related to the Hebrews and the
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Canaanites among others culturally they
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had much in common including the use of
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the shekele as the primary unit of money
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likewise the carthaginians worshiped a
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variety of deities from the ancient
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Middle East one in particular was the
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goddess tanet a Phoenician goddess of
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war tanet was also the virgin mother
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goddess and a fertility symbol she was a
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wife consort of B Hammond molok the
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chief God of Carthage Queen Dao is
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sometimes identified with the goddess as
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are the Babylonian Ishtar the Egyptian
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Athena tanet served as the special
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protector deity of the city of Carthage
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which is why her Effigy is found on its
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coinage the present example in this
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video is valued at 1 and A2 shekels or
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three halves of a gold Stater the left
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facing head of the Goddess tanet is the
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only Motif on the offers of the coin her
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profile from a prominent nose and Chin
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to the neutral facial expression used to
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connote nobility and Transcendence of
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Earthly concerns are reminiscent of
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classical Greek art though this coin was
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minted on the other end of the
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Mediterranean during the first Punic War
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nearly 200 years after the aesthetic
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developments of the classical age she
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wears an ornate hairstyle her hair
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pulled up and with large sections combed
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in different directions thick garlands
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of curls run along the edge of her face
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and around her ear while several
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individual curls are freestanding
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especially in the back two rather stiff
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wreaths of wheat referred to as corn in
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European reference materials Adorn her
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head a few prongs of what appears to be
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a tiara likee object are found above the
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wheat but they are most likely another
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part of her hairo a triple pendant
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earring with a cross bar hangs from her
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earlobe she also wears a necklace the
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details of which are almost completely
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worn on this particular
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example the horse was a symbol of power
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and Conquest greatly revered by the
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carthaginians and found on almost all
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the city's coinage the portra bet trayal
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of a male horse on the reverse of this
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specimen is fairly typical of Carthage
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muscular yet light standing solidly and
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all four legs yet alert and ready to
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LEAP into action above the horse is a
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sundisk a symbol common to cultures
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across Africa in the Middle East to
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either side of the sundisk is the Urus a
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representation of the Egyptian cobra
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that symbolized Divine and royal power
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and authority and also served as a
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Talisman of protection altogether The
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Motif resembled the Egyptian eye of raw
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varieties of this type without the sun
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dis often contain approximately 30% less
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precious metal the horse is standing
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upon the ground here inscribed as a line
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that neatly divides the excer from the
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rest of the design small vertical dots
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or marks Point upward from the ground
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appearing to represent Blades of
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grass for more information on world
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coins ancient coins and US coins visit
