Cosa et Paestum?: A Cross-Colonial Coinage Comparison (20 min)

Presenters

Melissa Ludke, Florida State University

Abstract

Long considered “sister colonies” by historical and modern scholars alike, Cosa and Paestum, both founded in 273 BCE, experienced similar motivations for their foundation and Latin status, but with wholly different sets of colonial circumstances, including their coinage and system of production. Cosa, an ex novo colony, was founded on the Tyrrhenian coast on land confiscated from Vulci, while the site of the city was relatively uninhabited prior to the colony’s foundation. On the other hand, Paestum was “refounded” after changing to a Latin colony, which followed a long history of habitation from its time as Greek Poseidonia through its takeover by the Lucanians. The colonies’ coin production follows a similar trajectory: Cosa only briefly minted coin after its foundation in 273, while Paestum, after a short hiatus, retained minting abilities following the transition from a Greek to Roman town. However, in light of more recent discoveries and interpretations, such as the potential presence of the gens Sestii in Campania, who will later rise to importance at Cosa in the second century BCE, it appears that these two “sister colonies” may have closer ties than previously investigated. It is as yet unclear how early Cosa’s Sestii arrived at the town, or at what point they obtained such influence. However, in light of an RRC 17/1 coin discovered within the inventory of Paestum’s excavations, on which a Cosa coin type was modeled, and an inscribed rostra containing the name of a certain Sestius found off the coast of Paestum, this paper suggests that family agendas, namely the Sestii, may be driving iconographic choices for the coins minted at Cosa, and their production. Further, this project draws points of iconographic comparisons between the Cosa coins, Paestum’s Latin colonial coinage, coinage from Cales and other colonies within Campania and Lucania, and, finally, other mid Republican colonies along the Tyrrhenian coast. The result explores the degree to which Cosa is an “outlier” as an ex novo colonia, or reveals potential connections to South Italian mints, in tandem with the clear link between the Cosa coins and their Romano-Campanian versions (RRC 13/1 and RRC 17/1).