v49_0367 - HISPANIA - SPAIN - IBERICO - AEBUSUS (Balearic Islands Ibiza) Semis, (MB, Æ 22)

HISPANIA - SPAIN - IBERICO - AEBUSUS (Balearic Islands Ibiza)

(3rd - 2nd century BC)

The island of Ibiza was occupied by the Carthaginians from 654 BC according to Diodorus of Sicily. The latter named the island Aebusim or Ibusim, Ebusus in Latin. At the end of the 4th century BC, Ibiza was transformed into a veritable metropolis and, thanks to its geographical location, the island became a center for the redistribution of goods. Commercial development was such that in the 3rd century BC, the island minted its own coinage bearing the image of the god Bes. In Roman times, the island took the name of Insula Augusta.