Figs 1 & 2 Carthaginian shekels (probably silver), said to represent Hannibal, c. 220 BC, and Hasdrubal, c. 209 BC, (both as Herakles-Melqart?) respectively
What kind of archaeological evidence could distinguish two very similar events only a little more than a decade apart? Of all the possible absolute or relative chronometers an archaeologist might use, sometimes coins are the most datable artifacts. This is the optimum evidence our Stanford Alpine Archaeology project hopes to ultimately find in our ongoing Hannibal research expeditions. As Metcalf says, “The relationship between numismatics and archaeology has always been close…coin finds help to date strata or levels…” (Metcalf, 1996:814). Possibly applicable here, the well known and intrepid Hannibal Barca’s crossing of the Alps was in 218 BC and his less well known brother Hasdrubal Barca followed him around 208-07 BC. Both traveled with an army and elephants, although Hasdrubal’s was apparently a much smaller army and the second crossing happened during spring as opposed to Hannibal’s passage in late fall moving into early winter.
As I have published elsewhere (Alpine Archaeology 2007), there are archaeological means to potentially distinguish Hannibal’s from Hasdrubal’s passage – or at least indicate that if mintings of Hasdrubal coins were found, it would prove that it was not Hannibal’s passage. However, if Hannibal coin issues were found but no Hasdrubal coin issues were found, it would still not prove that it was Hannibal’s passage, only that it could be either of the two.
TO READ MORE, SEE PATRICK HUNT’S NEW BOOK ALPINE ARCHAEOLOGY 2007.
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Patrick Hunt
phunt@stanford.edu
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