File talk:Hannibal greatmen03horn.png

Inscription

The inscription here is rather odd. For one thing the letters are reversed (although this would make sense if it's based on a rubbing of an original coin), but also it appears to read sknmg (the letter forms are also rather odd, & many punic letters were extremely similar, and so the k & n could each potentially be any of n, w, or k, & the n might also conceivably be a b, the g could be an l, and the s might be a ṣ), rather than the ḥnbʿl that would be expected if it is supposed to read "Hannibal"

The confusion between similar-looking letters makes sense if this is based on a rubbing of an original heavily worn coin and drawn by someone who doesn't know the script, as do the odd features of the initial h, but the m is rendered almost perfectly. With that in mind, I suspect the coin is missing (or abbreviated) two letters at the start & one at the end and is intended to be read as grskn mgn that is Gisco the Magonid (or possibly if there's an implied bn between the two words, Gisco son of Mago)

There was a Magonid Gisco, the son of Hamilcar I, who died during the First Sicilian War but as he never reigned his presence on a coin would be surprising

It could potentially also be a reference to the two generals Hasdrubal Gisco and Mago Barca who both fought in the Second Punic War, but the names of two generals being placed next to a single profile seems unlikely (especially as Mago Barca was the third son of Hamilcar Barca, and the less significant than either of his elder brothers)

Or it may be something else altogether. I would be very skeptical about the profile on the original artefact genuinely representing Hannibal though, even if the 19th century artist who drew it believed it did Tristanjlroberts (talk) 17:13, 18 January 2022 (UTC)