Carthaginian coinage in Iberia

Coins are one of the most important archaeological testimonies to the presence of Carthage in the Iberian Peninsula. From 237 BCE onwards, the North African power, impoverished and indebted after its defeat in the First Punic War, set out to conquer Iberia in search of new resources, especially the precious metals from the mines in the south.

The costs of organising the army and paying soldiers required the minting of large quantities of coins. Some of these were produced in Iberia, in mobile workshops that travelled with the troops or in Khart Hadash, the 'new city' (Cartagena, or Carthago Nova in Latin), founded in 227 BCE. Issues from these years include silver pieces with high purchasing power and images of great significance, which are among the most striking pieces of Hispanic antiquity in their own right.

The dynamic of imperialist expansion by Rome and Carthage led to another war in 218 BCE. The Second Punic War (218-202 BCE) marked the beginning of a radical transformation for the peoples of Iberia: transformed into a battleground for the two great powers of the western Mediterranean, one of the decisive changes was the spread of the use of currency.

Until then, the circulation of coins was very restricted and very few cities possessed their own currency. Apart from the Greek colonies of Emporion (Ampurias) and Rhodes (Rosas), only the Iberian Arsa (Sagunto) and the Punic Gadir (Cadiz) and Ebusus (Ibiza) had their own coins. With the war, Roman and Carthaginian money came into circulation, and both sides also needed the financial support of their Hispanic allies.