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Syracuse, Sicily, Agathokles, 317 - 289 B.C.
With an army of mercenaries, through deceit, and after banishing or murdering some 10,000 citizens, Agathocles made himself master of Syracuse and later most of Sicily. Machiavelli wrote of him, "It cannot be called prowess to kill fellow-citizens, to betray friends, to be treacherous, pitiless, and irreligious" and cited him as an example of "those who by their crimes come to be princes." According to the historian Justin, very early in life Agathocles parlayed his remarkable beauty into a career as a prostitute, first for men, and later, after puberty, for women, and then made a living by robbery before becoming a soldier and marrying a rich widow.GI83555. Bronze AE 17, Calciati II p. 233, 104; SNG Cop 761; SNG ANS 610; SNG Munchen 1245; HGC 2 1989; SNG Tüb -; SNG Morcom -, VF, nice style, dark green patina, pitting, Syracuse mint, weight 3.57g, maximum diameter 16.9mm, die axis 270o, c. 317 - 310 B.C.; obverse ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, head of Kore-Persephone left, wearing earring and necklace, hair rolled and wreathed with barley, vertical astragalos (control symbol) behind neck; reverse bull butting left, ax (control symbol) above, ΣΩ (magistrate initials) in exergue; SOLD
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