Taras, Calabria (hippocamp coll.)

[b]Taras, Calabria (465-455 BC.) AR Nomos[/b] [u]Obv[/u]: Taras with both arms outstretched, riding dolphin, facing left; TARAS legend right; cockle shell below; raised circular border. [u]Rev[/u]: Hippocamp, facing right. [u]Attribution[/u]: Fischer-Bossert 111(V57/R74); Vlasto 136; HN Italy 827 [u]Provenance[/u]: ex. Harlan J. Berk, 151(#55), 11.1.06; ex. CNG 72 (#75), 6.14.06 [u]Weight[/u]: 8.11 gm [u]Maximal Diameter[/u]: 18.53 mm [u]Axis[/u]: 12 [u]Note[/u]: Rare die combination. Taras was, according to Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and of the nymph Satyrion. Taras is the eponymous founder of the Greek colony of Taras (Tarentum, modern Taranto), in Magna Graecia. Note that a harbour close by Taranto is still called Torre Saturo (derived from Satyrion). It was in Torre Saturo, almost 15 km south of Taranto, that Spartan colonists settled their first colony in Taranto zone. Later, around 706 BC, they conquered the Iapygian city of Taranto. GK246