BRUTTIUM, Kroton. Circa 500-480 BC. AR Nomos (23.5mm, 6.99 g, 12h). Medium incuse type. Tripod, legs surmounted by wreaths and terminating in lion's feet, set on basis of three lines, the center dotted; crab to left, (koppa)PO to right / Incuse tripod as obverse, but wreaths in relief, and serpents in relief rising from middle foot; octopus to left; to right, outline of dolphin upward. Attianese 35 (same dies as illustration); Gorini 18 (same dies as illustration); HN Italy 2090; SNG ANS 251 (same dies); Hunterian 3 (same dies); Jameson 418 (same dies); Triton XXII, lot 85 (same dies; hammer $30,000). Old collection tone, some find patina, light roughness on reverse. Good VF. Very rare.
As with many cities in Magna Graecia, Kroton was established by colonists from mainland Greece. Myskellos, obeying a directive of the oracle of Delphi, led a group of Achaian settlers to the site and founded the city around 710 BC. This divine sanction is represented by the tripod of the oracle, which became the civic badge of Kroton and is featured on its coinage. Kroton was among the first cities to produce coinage in Italy, its earliest being of the incuse type struck on the Achaian standard. As evidenced by its bountiful coinage, Kroton was one of the most important and wealthy cities of southern Italy. Although its fortunes rose and fell over the centuries, it maintained its production of a wide array of denominations and metals until the Roman period.
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