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V14 2011 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 14, Number 22, May 29, 2011, Article 21

KEN BRESSETT ON THE E-SYLUM MASTHEAD COIN

Ken Bressett forwarded these notes on a coin featured in the masthead of The E-Sylum. Thanks! -Editor

Taras obv Taras rev

E-Sylum masthead closeup I wonder if anyone has ever questioned what the ancient coin is that is only partially pictured on the E-Sylum masthead. Attached are images of both the obverse and reverse. It is an interesting coin for many reasons. The piece is a silver nomos from the city of Tarentum in Calabria, southern Italy. It was most likely minted in the period from 510 to 500 B.C. These pieces are about the size of a U.S. quarter, and weigh about 8 grams. The figure on the obverse is Taras-Phalanthos riding on the back of a dolphin. A scallop shell below the dolphin signifies the ocean. The inscription above reads TARAS, but is written retrograde as was a common custom at that time. On the reverse side, the entire design is repeated but is intaglio.

The coins of Tarentum were part of a unique series of intaglio coins that were made in Magna Graecia during the period from about 550 to 480 B.C. They are exceptional for their original designs, distinctive borders, the use of writing to indicate the city name, and in that they were the first to use full designs on both sides. Also original was the technique of engraving one side intaglio and the other in relief. This was probably done to indicate a more or less uniform system of coinage that extended throughout southern Italy at that time. Legend has it that the Tarentum colonists were instructed by the Oracle of Delphi where to settle, and that Phalanthos made the trip from Greece to Italy with the aid of a friendly dolphin.

I wish I could say that the image was the result of a long and carefully thought out design process. The truth of the matter is that I just grabbed a number of fairly random coin images and dumped them on our graphic designer, who augmented these with others found around the web. This was one of the first masthead designs they came up with, and I liked it well enough to keep it. Thanks to Ken for the background on the coin! -Editor


Wayne Homren, Editor

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