Greece, Kingdom of Epirus
King Pyrrhus (297-272 BC), AE18 295-272 BC, no mintmark
Obverse: laureate head of Zeus left
Reverse: thunderbolt, B above, monogram ΠYP below, all within oak-wreath
Weight 4.36 g
Epirus was a mountainous land located in the northwest of Greece on the Ionian Sea. It bordered Albania to the north, Tessalia to the east, and Etolia and Acarnania to the south. Pyrrus was one of the most important opponents of Rome during the empire's formation. By defeating the Romans at Asculum in Puglia in 279 BC, he suffered such heavy losses that this success, instead of improving it, made his military situation much worse. He seized power in the kingdom of Epirus in 297 BCE, and for six years he waged warfare against Rome in southern Italy and against Carthage in Sicily. The wars with Rome earned him great fame. By many historians, Pyrrus is considered one of the greatest leaders of those years, and by others as the restless spirit and erroneous knight of antiquity. The obverse of the offered coin features the head of Zeus with the nickname Dodonaios, on the head there is a wreath of oak leaves, without inscriptions. On the reverse, inside a wreath also made of oak branches, we can see a beam of lightning, one of the most important attributes of Zeus. In the left field, there is the letter "B", the first letter of the title "Basileos", meaning king. On the right, a vertical monogram of the first three (Greek) letters of the name Pyrrus, meaning ΠYP.
