Taras was uniquely founded as the only formal colony of Sparta. Its didrachm series serves as a historical record of the city's turbulent conflicts against local Italian tribes, its alliance with King Pyrrhus of Epirus, and its final subjugation by Rome during the Punic Wars.

Obverse: Naked warrior crowning a horse clutching a shield and wielding a spear. This reflected Tarentum’s proud Spartan roots and famed cavalry.

Reverse:  young boy riding a dolphin. The rider is Taras (the mythical son of Poseidon), who was saved from a shipwreck by a dolphin sent by his father. He holds objects representing the city's wealth, a wine cup. The legend reads ΤΑΡΑΣ