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12 NUMISMATIC CHRONICLE.It is evident that this piece is almost contemporarywith No. 12 on PI. I. with the triskeles over the lion.The treatment of the head of Pallas on one coin andthe other is identical, even down to the curled wingon the helmet. The observation that this coin has itsprototypein the famous tetradrachm of Siculo-Punicissue with the head of " Dido " in the diademed Phrygiancap 25 is no new one. And it must be borne in mind thatthe date-palmis as much the special mark of Carthage 26as the triskeles is of Agathocles. It isimprobable thata coin-engraver of a free Greek city would make soslavish a copy of the coin of a " barbarian " cityof hisown free will, or place the badge of Carthaginiandominion on itmerely by way of varying his type.Also, be it noted, there is no other symbolThe date-palm of Carthage has taken the placetriskeles of Agathocles.on the coin.of theIs not the simplest and most straightforward explanationthe one already suggested above ;that the Carthaginians,probably encouraged by a reduction of hisItalian squadron, attacked and invested Metapontumand Velia, two of the most powerful cities allied toAgathocles, and thereby struck a telling blow at hispower in Magna Graecia ? CHARLES T. SELTMAN.25 See Hill, Coins of Ancient Sicily, PI. x. 7 ;also B. M. Guide,PL 26, 41, 42.26The date-palm (o/i) was, of course, to the Greek the most naturalsymbol of the Phoenician (*o?vt|).Its adoption as a canting-type onthe Punic coins of Sicily simply shows that the Carthaginians whoissued them realized the pun contained in the Greek words. There isno word in the Semitic languages for the date-palm which could. suggestany play upon Phoenicia or Carthage. In this connection note thefairly analogous case of the elephant (which the Romans knew wascalled "Kesar" in Phoenician) being placed on the denarii of JuliusCaesar.