Pantelleria 500 lire
2023 UNC
Sailing Ship
Fantasy coinage. Not in circulation.
Silver plated coin.
Mintage only 135 pcs
Pantelleria, in ancient times Cossira (lat. Cossyra) is an Italian island in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, 100 km southwest of Sicily and 70 km east of the African coast (Tunisia). Archaeological excavations have shown the presence of traces of human habitation, including dwellings, in layers 35,000 years old. The original population of Pantelleria did not move there from Sicily, but belonged to the Iberian or Ligurian tribes. In 2-1 thousand BC. e. on the island there was a culture of the Sesiotes, whose buildings resembled the nuraghi in Sardinia. After a significant break, during which the island was supposedly uninhabited, it was taken under the control of the Carthaginians as an important point on the outskirts of Sicily, probably at the beginning of the 7th century BC. e. During the Roman Empire, it was used as a place of exile for important officials and members of the imperial family. In 700, the Christian population was exterminated by the Arabs, who, in turn, were expelled in 1123 by Roger of Sicily. In 1311, the Aragonese fleet under the command of Luis de Requesens won a significant victory near the island. His descendants called themselves Princes of Pantelleria until 1553, when the Ottomans took over the city. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British Admiralty considered acquiring Pantelleria (as well as Lampedusa and Linosa) to strengthen their position in the newly acquired Malta, but in 1812 it was decided against.