Bruttium, The Brettii. Æ Double Unit, circa 211–208 BC.

Bruttium, The Brettii. Æ Double Unit, circa 211–208 BC. Obv. Head of Ares left, wearing crested Corinthian helmet decorated with a griffin; all within laurel wreath. Rev. BPETTIΩN, Athena advancing right, holding spear and shield; lyre in right field. 26 mm, 15.28 g. SNG Copenhagen 1645 ff.; SNG ANS 87 ff.; HN Italy 2000. Attractive brown tone. Ex Gorny & Mosch 196 (2011), lot 1098.

Issued during the Second Punic War, when the Brettii allied with Hannibal after the fall of Capua, this bold bronze double unit reflects both the military orientation and the cultural aspirations of the Bruttian League. The obverse presents Ares, rendered with striking detail: the crested Corinthian helmet, adorned with a griffin, asserts a blend of Greek martial iconography and local Italic taste. The enclosing laurel wreath evokes victory and civic identity. On the reverse, Athena advancing with shield and spear signifies both divine protection and the defensive stance adopted by the Brettii during the conflict. The lyre in the field, a symbol rarely found on Bruttian bronze, may allude to broader Hellenic cultural associations, underscoring the complex fusion of Greek and Italic elements in southern Italy during the war. Struck during a moment of profound regional upheaval, these bronzes served as the circulating coinage of a people navigating shifting alliances and asserting autonomy within the turbulent military landscape of the early second century BC. A well-preserved and evocative example of Bruttian bronze coinage from the Hannibalic era.