Stunning and scarce example of a AR Tetradrachm 300-289 BC SICILIA - SICULA-PUNIC From the Second Punic War.

Obverse: Head of Melqart/Herakles Facing Right, Wearing Lion Skin Headdres 
Reverse: Horse Head Facing Left, palmtree behind, beneath Punic legend ″mhmhnt″ (= ″the People of the Camp″)


The legendary city of Carthage was founded on the shores of what is today the nation of Tunisia by Phoenicians colonists from Tyre. From these humble beginnings, Carthage rose to become the dominant mercantile and naval power of the Western Mediterranean, expanding from their base in North Africa to the coast of southern Spain, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily. With a relatively small population of Phoenician ancestry, Carthage heavily relied upon mercenaries to fight their war that inevitably erupted as their influence grew. As Carthaginian settlements in western Sicily began to spread eastwards, they encountered the Greek cities on the island, resulting in intermittent wars as the Greeks and Carthaginians battled for control of the strategic island. Initially, Carthage allied themselves with the burgeoning power of Rome, who sought to limit the Greek presence in Southern Italy. Eventually, Rome and Carthage became bitter rivals, engaging in a series of battles known as the Punic Wars that culminated in the complete destruction of Carthage in 146 B.C.