Ares on a Bruttian Bronze

This Bronze 'Double' (double-didrachm) with the helmeted head of Ares was the largest of the five bronze denominations minted by the Bruttians. The other denominations were the Bronze 'Unit' (c. 8 grams), Bronze 'Half' (c. 4 grams), Bronze 'Quarter' (c. 2 grams), and Bronze 'Sixth' (c. 1.4 grams) ¹. This particular Bronze 'Double' belongs to the so-called 'corn-ear' group, which was minted in 214-211 BC ², during the Second Punic War.

The Greeks had an ambivalent attitude towards Ares. He was less commonly depicted on ancient coins than gods such as Zeus, Athena, or Apollo, which makes this coin an interesting example of his representation in ancient coinage. Ares embodied the physical courage and strength needed for success in war, but he could also represent brutality and bloodlust. This was different from his sister Athena, whose martial role was associated with military strategy and leadership.

Numismatist M. Jessop Price made another interesting observation about Ares. He argued that Ares represented the traditional Spartan character, although he was not a deity with an important cult at Sparta and never appeared on Spartan coins ³.