DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45277#0176
92
JBRUTTIUM.
Rhegium was, however, too far removed from Croton, and Sybaris, the
centres of the Achaean commerce, and too closely connected with her
sister Chalcidic colonies in Sicily, to be drawn into anything more than
outward conformity with the Achaean incuse federal currency. In
weight its earliest money follows the Aeginetic standard of the other
Chalcidian colonies, while in type and fabric it is thoroughly Achaean.
The attitude of Rhegium towards the Achaean monetary Union was
precisely that of Poseidonia in the north, which also superficially con-
formed to the Achaean system while retaining its own weight-standard.
Circ. B. c. 530-494.
R E CI N 0 N (retrogr.) Bull with human I Bull with human face, incuse ....
face. I At Drachm, 87 grs.
Circ. b. c. 494-480.
About B. c. 494, after the capture of Miletus, a body of Samians and
some Milesian exiles left Asia to settle in the west, on the north coast of
Sicily. On their arrival in Italy they were prevailed upon by Anaxilas,
the tyrant of Rhegium, to seize the town of Zancle (Herod, vi. 22).
These Samians were soon afterwards either expelled or reduced to sub-
jection by Anaxilas, who then ruled both over Rhegium and Zancle.
On this occasion he is said to have changed the name of Zancle to Messene
in memory of his own origin. From this time forward the money
of Rhegium is essentially Sicilian both in type, fabric, and weight.
The first adoption of the Lion’s head facing and the Calf’s head on
the coins of Zancle and Rhegium it is usual to ascribe to the influence
of the Samians, these two types being apparently modifications of the
types used at Samos itself. The Rhegine coins bearing the Samian type
are the following:—
Aeginetic weight.
Lion’s head facing.
n 3? 35
REC I ON (retrogr.) Calf’s head, 1. .
Al Drachm 88 grs.
REC (retrogr.) in dotted circle .
At Obol 15 grs.
Attic weight.
Lion’s head facing. R E CI N 0 N (retrogr.) Calf’s head, 1. .
At Tetradr. 272 grs.
Round shield, on which lion’s scalp. No inscription. Prow of Samian galley
(Samaena) . At Tetradr. 267 grs.
This last coin might be ascribed to Samos were it not for the fact that
its weight is not that which was prevalent in Samos and that it was
found at Messina.
The Samian derivation of the above types is probable. Hence it may
be argued that the name of Zancle was changed to Messene during the
period of its occupation by the Samians, and not after their expulsion as
Thucydides (vi. 4) asserts. Herodotus (vii. 164) is less explicit as to
the exact date of its change of name.
All these coins, both Aeginetic and Attic, must therefore have been
struck very soon after B. C. 494. The precise date of the expulsion of the
Samians cannot be fixed. It is probably marked, however, by the intro-
duction of entirely new types, which we have Aristotle’s (Ap. J. Pollux.
JBRUTTIUM.
Rhegium was, however, too far removed from Croton, and Sybaris, the
centres of the Achaean commerce, and too closely connected with her
sister Chalcidic colonies in Sicily, to be drawn into anything more than
outward conformity with the Achaean incuse federal currency. In
weight its earliest money follows the Aeginetic standard of the other
Chalcidian colonies, while in type and fabric it is thoroughly Achaean.
The attitude of Rhegium towards the Achaean monetary Union was
precisely that of Poseidonia in the north, which also superficially con-
formed to the Achaean system while retaining its own weight-standard.
Circ. B. c. 530-494.
R E CI N 0 N (retrogr.) Bull with human I Bull with human face, incuse ....
face. I At Drachm, 87 grs.
Circ. b. c. 494-480.
About B. c. 494, after the capture of Miletus, a body of Samians and
some Milesian exiles left Asia to settle in the west, on the north coast of
Sicily. On their arrival in Italy they were prevailed upon by Anaxilas,
the tyrant of Rhegium, to seize the town of Zancle (Herod, vi. 22).
These Samians were soon afterwards either expelled or reduced to sub-
jection by Anaxilas, who then ruled both over Rhegium and Zancle.
On this occasion he is said to have changed the name of Zancle to Messene
in memory of his own origin. From this time forward the money
of Rhegium is essentially Sicilian both in type, fabric, and weight.
The first adoption of the Lion’s head facing and the Calf’s head on
the coins of Zancle and Rhegium it is usual to ascribe to the influence
of the Samians, these two types being apparently modifications of the
types used at Samos itself. The Rhegine coins bearing the Samian type
are the following:—
Aeginetic weight.
Lion’s head facing.
n 3? 35
REC I ON (retrogr.) Calf’s head, 1. .
Al Drachm 88 grs.
REC (retrogr.) in dotted circle .
At Obol 15 grs.
Attic weight.
Lion’s head facing. R E CI N 0 N (retrogr.) Calf’s head, 1. .
At Tetradr. 272 grs.
Round shield, on which lion’s scalp. No inscription. Prow of Samian galley
(Samaena) . At Tetradr. 267 grs.
This last coin might be ascribed to Samos were it not for the fact that
its weight is not that which was prevalent in Samos and that it was
found at Messina.
The Samian derivation of the above types is probable. Hence it may
be argued that the name of Zancle was changed to Messene during the
period of its occupation by the Samians, and not after their expulsion as
Thucydides (vi. 4) asserts. Herodotus (vii. 164) is less explicit as to
the exact date of its change of name.
All these coins, both Aeginetic and Attic, must therefore have been
struck very soon after B. C. 494. The precise date of the expulsion of the
Samians cannot be fixed. It is probably marked, however, by the intro-
duction of entirely new types, which we have Aristotle’s (Ap. J. Pollux.