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Image search results - "Syracusan"
prnbzw~0.jpg
Aphrodite and Ares on Cilician AR Stater of Satrap PharnabazosCirca 380-374/3 B.C.(21mm, 10.39g, 11h). Struck circa 380-379 B.C. Casabonne series 3; Moysey Issue 3, 3-5 var. (dolphin on obv.); SNG France 246 var. (rev. legend). Obverse Head of nymph facing three-quarters left. Reverse Helmeted head of Ares left, Aramaic PRNBZW to left. Near EF, toned, struck from a slightly worn obverse die.

Ex CNG.

There is still an ongoing debate whether who represent the obverse and reverse of this coin type of Pharnabazos. The obverse obviously was inspired by the renowned Syracusan tetradrachm of Kimon, whose three-quarter facing head of the nymph Arethusa was widely copied throughout the ancient world. A handful of ancient poleis adopted this style to represent their local nymph or goddess on their coins. A perfect example is the numerous coins of Larissa in Thessaly representing the local nymph of the same name. It is possible to assume then that the obverse of our coin might be another female deity other than Arethusa. A current opinion holds that the obverse represents Aphrodite, the goddess of love; and the reverse depicts Ares, the god of war. The two were known in ancient mythology as lovers, and commonly paired together on ancient coins. Of special note on this coin is the reverse: while most coins of this type display static male heads with little originality, the reverse die is probably from a special issue marked by superior style and executed with extreme delicacy. It has been suggested (Leu Auction 81, lot 317) that the head of Ares may be a disguised portrait of Pharnabazos himself.

1 commentsJason T
HN_Italy_2497.jpg
Bruttium, Rhegion, 415-387 B.C., Drachm 14mm, 3.89 grams
Reference: Sear 502; B.M.C.1.38
Lion's scalp facing.
PHΓINON, Laureate head of Apollo right, olive-sprig behind.

"Dionysios I, after concluding a peace with the Carthaginians, went about securing his power in the island of Sicily. His troops, however, rebelled against him and sought help from, among others, the city of Rhegion (Diod. Sic. 14.8.2). In the ensuing campaigns, Dionyios I proceeded to enslave the citizens of Naxos and Katane, with whom the Rhegians shared a common history and identity (Diod. Sic. 14.40.1). This association was a source of anger and fear for the inhabitants of Rhegion. The Syracusan exiles living there also encouraged the Rhegians to go to war with Syracuse (Diod. Sic. 14.40.3). The overarching strategy of Dionysios I included extending his power into Italy by using Rhegion as a stepping stone to the rest of the peninsula. In 387 BC, after a siege that lasted eleven months, the Rhegians, on the brink of starvation, surrendered to Dionysus. Indeed, we are told that by the end of the siege, a medimnos of wheat cost about five minai (Diod. Sic. 14.111.2). Strabo remarks that, following Dionysios' capture of the city, the Syracusan “destroyed the illustrious city” (Strabo 6.1.6).

The next decade or so of the history of Rhegion is unclear, but sometime during his reign, Dionysios II, who succeeded his father in 367 BC, rebuilt the city, giving it the new name of Phoibia (Strabo 6.1.6). Herzfelder argues that this issue was struck by Dionysios II of Syracuse after he rebuilt the city, and dates it to the period that Dionysios II is thought to have lived in the city. Due to civil strife at Syracuse, Dionysios II was forced to garrison Region, but was ejected from the city by two of his rivals circa 351 BC (Diod. Sic. 16.45.9).

The coin types of Rhegion, founded as a colony of Chalcis, are related to its founding mythology. Some of the earliest tetradrachms of the city, from the mid-5th century BC, depict a lion’s head on the obverse, and a seated figure on the reverse. J.P. Six (in NC 1898, pp. 281-5) identified the figure as Iokastos, the oikistes (founder) of Rhegion (Diod. Sic. 5.8.1; Callimachus fr. 202). Head (in HN), suggested Aristaios, son of Apollo. Iokastos was one of six sons of Aiolos, ruler of the Aeolian Islands. All of the sons of Aiolos secured their own realms in Italy and Sicily, with Iokastos taking the region around Rhegion. Aristaios, born in Libya, discovered the silphium plant, and was the patron of beekeepers (mentioned by Virgil), shepherds, vintners, and olive growers. He also protected Dionysos as a child, and was the lover of Eurydike. The replacement of the seated figure type with the head of Apollo circa 420 BC also suggests the figure could be Aristaios. An anecdote from the first-century BC geographer Strabo (6.1.6 and 6.1.9), which connects Rhegion’s founding to the orders of the Delphic Oracle and Apollo, as the reason for the advent of the new type could be simply serendipitous.

Different theories exist for the lion’s head on the coins of Rhegion. The lion’s head (or mask as it is sometimes described) first appeared on the coinage of Rhegion at the start of the reign of Anaxilas, in about 494 BC. E.S.G. Robinson, in his article “Rhegion, Zankle-Messana and the Samians” (JHS vol. 66, 1946) argues that the lion was a symbol of Apollo. He makes a comparison to the coinage of the nearby city of Kaulonia, “At Kaulonia Apollo’s animal was the deer; if at Rhegion it was the lion, the early appearance and persistence of that type is explained. The lion is a certain, though infrequent, associate of Apollo at all periods.” The link, he suggests, is that the lion was associated with the sun, as was Apollo himself.

The lion’s head could also relate to the exploits of Herakles, who had some significance for the city. The extant sources tell us that Herakles stopped at southern Italy near Rhegion on his return with the cattle of Geryon (Diod. Sic. 4.22.5). It was here that supposedly a bull broke away from the rest of the herd and swam to Sicily (Apollod. 2.5.10). Though but a passing reference in Apollodorus, it is very possible that the Rhegians venerated Herakles. Indeed, Herakles was a very important figure throughout the entire area. Dionysios of Halicarnassus says that “in many other places also in Italy [besides Rome] precincts are dedicated to this god [Herakles] and altars erected to him, both in cities and along highways; and one could scarcely find any place in Italy in which the god is not honoured” (I.40.6). As the skin of the Nemean Lion was one of the main attributes of Herakles, the lion’s head may refer to him through metonymic association."
1 commentsLeo
vlasto_27.jpg
CALABRIA, Taras. Circa 320-315 BC. AV Sixth Stater – Diobol9.5mm, 1.41 g, 11h
Head of Apollo left, wearing laurel wreath; [ΣA] and dolphin to left, TAPAΣ to right
Herakles, raising club overhead in right hand, preparing to strike the Nemean lion as it attacks him from the right; bow and quiver to left, |-H below.
Fischer-Bossert G14 (V11/R14); Vlasto 27; HN Italy 951; SNG ANS 1034; SNG BN 1492–3; SNG Copenhagen 834; SNG Lloyd 186; Boston MFA 73 = Warren 36; Hunterian 20; Jameson 161; McClean 599 (all from the same dies). Good VF.

Apollo was worshipped as the patron of colonists at Tarentum, and he was also the patron of the revered Pythagorean religious order at Tarentum, which existed until the late fourth century. The reverse motif of Herakles fighting the Nemean lion was also used on contemporary silver diobols of Tarentum and its colony Herakleia, though the silver issues usually chose the "tondo" scene of a crouched Herakles wrestling the Nemean lion with a stranglehold (a design also used on the Syracusan gold 100 litrae issue of Dionysios I).
1 commentsLeo
prnbzw.jpg
Cilicia, Tarsos. Satrap Pharnabazos II. AR Stater.Circa 380-374/3 B.C.(21mm, 10.39g, 11h). Struck circa 380-379 B.C. Casabonne series 3; Moysey Issue 3, 3-5 var. (dolphin on obv.); SNG France 246 var. (rev. legend). Obverse Head of nymph facing three-quarters left. Reverse Helmeted head of Ares left, Aramaic PRNBZW to left. Near EF, toned, struck from a slightly worn obverse die.

Ex CNG.

There is still an ongoing debate whether who represent the obverse and reverse of this coin type of Pharnabazos. The obverse obviously was inspired by the renowned Syracusan tetradrachm of Kimon, whose three-quarter facing head of the nymph Arethusa was widely copied throughout the ancient world. A handful of ancient poleis adopted this style to represent their local nymph or goddess on their coins. A perfect example is the numerous coins of Larissa in Thessaly representing the local nymph of the same name. It is possible to assume then that the obverse of our coin might be another female deity other than Arethusa. A current opinion holds that the obverse represents Aphrodite, the goddess of love; and the reverse depicts Ares, the god of war. The two were known in ancient mythology as lovers, and commonly paired together on ancient coins. Of special note on this coin is the reverse: while most coins of this type display static male heads with little originality, the reverse die is probably from a special issue marked by superior style and executed with extreme delicacy. It has been suggested (Leu Auction 81, lot 317) that the head of Ares may be a disguised portrait of Pharnabazos himself.
Jason T
688CN413.jpg
Cr 69/5 Æ Quadrans Anonymous [Corn/KA]Sicily 211-208 BCE

o: Head of Hercules right, wearing lion's skin; ••• (mark of value) to left
r: Bull leaping right; ••• (mark of value) and grain ear above, serpent below.
20mm, 6.34 gm

Type and overstrike as RBW 292; for overstrike, see Crawford Table XVIII, 64. Overstruck on a Syracusan bronze (Poseidon/Trident). A bit of smoothing has been noted.

From the Andrew McCabe Collection. His note: " Essentially all known examples of this type are overstrikes, mostly on an Poseidon/Ornamental trident. This coin is an unusually clear strike, complete as to overstrike and with little visible under, but a number of lines can be seen on the bull's flank that may be from an underlying trident."

As with the other 3 coins posted in this group, the coin is much better in hand.
PMah
00278q00.jpg
Crawford 039/1, ROMAN REPUBLIC, Collateral Semilibral Struck AE TriensRome. The Republic.
Semilibral Reduction, 217-215 BCE
Æ Triens (54 grams; 37 mm).
Uncertain Italian Mint.

Obverse: Head of Juno (?) right, wearing double-crested diadem, her hair tied in three ringlets down neck; scepter or sword over left shoulder (?); ●●●● (mark of value) behind.

Reverse: Hercules, naked but for lion skin, grasping centaur by hair and preparing to strike him with club; ●●●● (mark of value) before; ROMA in exergue.

References: Crawford 39/1; Sydenham 93 (R6); BMCRR (Romano-Campanian) 113-115.

Provenance: Ex Munzen und Medaillen 47 (1972), Lot 74.

Crawford dates his 39 series of collateral, semilibral struck bronzes to the early years of the Second Punic War, 217-215 BC. The economic hardship on Rome imposed by Hannibal’s invasion led to a rapid decline in the weight of Roman bronze coins, resulting in the adoption of a semi-libral bronze standard (AE As of ½ Roman pound) and eventual elimination of cast coins. Crawford deduces that Hannibal’s defeat of Rome at Trasimene in 217 B.C. likely tipped the financial scales to the semilibral reduction. He notes that Capua overstruck Roman coinage of the late semi-libral period when Capua joined with Hannibal in 216-215. Further, in Roman Republican Coin Hoards, Crawford reports that hoard #56, found at Capua in 1909, contained three trientes and four sextantes of the “collateral” series; thus the series must have circulated in Capua for a time before the town switched sides to Hannibal in 216-215. It appears that the standard, prow-type semilibral coins (Crawford 38) came first, because hoards containing the Crawford 39 coins almost always contain semilibral prow types as well.

The obverse of this Triens is particularly enigmatic. Both before, during and after production of this series, the goddess depicted on trientes was typically Minerva. In Roman iconography, Minerva’s attributes are the Corinthian helmet, aegis and spear. The goddess on this triens lacks the Corinthian helmet that was used to depict Minerva in previous Aes Grave series of libral and semilibral weight standard (See Crawford 35 and 38 Aes Grave) and on the subsequent, prow-type, struck trientes (Crawford 41 and 56). Some authors are non-committal as to the goddess’ identity (Crawford, for one, in his catalogue; though elsewhere in his text he refers to “Juno”); others attribute the goddess as Juno who, as Jupiter’s consort, is typically rendered with a diadem crown and scepter; and others believe the goddess is Bellona, a war goddess who is typically rendered with helmet and weapon. Firm identification depends, in part, on proper understanding of the headgear. I think attempts to call the headgear a “helmet” or “partial helmet” are misguided efforts to explain the crest. In my opinion, the headgear is a crested diadem. The odd crest attached to the end of the diadem is possibly a misinterpreted element borrowed from portraits of Tanit on Punic coinage, which always show Tanit with a stylized wheat leaf in this location (Tanit’s depiction was likely borrowed by the Carthaginians from Syracusan tetradrachms). There is also some confusion as to what the goddess holds over her left shoulder. Condition issues and poor strikes on some examples often eliminate this aspect of the design. Fortunately, my example is quite clear and one can see the shadowy image on the left shoulder which extends in straight-line behind the left side of the goddess’ head ending in a visible, rounded point above her head. Crawford may have thought the lower part of this element represented the goddess’ far-side curls (“hair falls in tight rolls onto BOTH shoulders” emphasis added), but this interpretation does not explain the point above her head. The point is not likely to represent the opposite crest, as the crest on the visible side does not extend above head-top level. A more plausible theory, proposed by both Grueber and Sydenham, is that the goddess is holding a scepter over her left shoulder, which is consistent with Juno’s attributes. Other possibilities are that she bears a spear, which is an attribute of Minerva, or a sword, which is an attribute of Bellona.

The Series 39 types and their relationship to contemporaneous Second Punic War events are interesting to ponder. Hercules is an important figure, appearing on two of the 10 available sides of the series. Likely this is a paradigm of Roman heroism during the War. In the myth depicted on this Triens, Hercules kills a centaur for assaulting his wife – is this an allegorical reference to Hannibal’s assault on Italy (and the likely response from Rome)?

Despite its beauty, this type would never again be repeated on a Roman coin. However, related imagery can be found on quincunxes of Capua and quadrantes of Larinum, Apulia, immediately following the defection of those towns to Hannibal’s side of the Second Punic War.
3 commentsCarausius
Vlasto_27~0.jpg
GREEK, Italy, CALABRIA, Taras. Circa 320-315 BC. AV Sixth Stater – Diobol9.5mm, 1.41 g, 11h
Head of Apollo left, wearing laurel wreath; [ΣA] and dolphin to left, TAPAΣ to right
Herakles, raising club overhead in right hand, preparing to strike the Nemean lion as it attacks him from the right; bow and quiver to left, |-H below.
Fischer-Bossert G14 (V11/R14); Vlasto 27; HN Italy 951; SNG ANS 1034; SNG BN 1492–3; SNG Copenhagen 834; SNG Lloyd 186; Boston MFA 73 = Warren 36; Hunterian 20; Jameson 161; McClean 599 (all from the same dies). Good VF.

Apollo was worshipped as the patron of colonists at Tarentum, and he was also the patron of the revered Pythagorean religious order at Tarentum, which existed until the late fourth century. The reverse motif of Herakles fighting the Nemean lion was also used on contemporary silver diobols of Tarentum and its colony Herakleia, though the silver issues usually chose the "tondo" scene of a crouched Herakles wrestling the Nemean lion with a stranglehold (a design also used on the Syracusan gold 100 litrae issue of Dionysios I).
Leo
GAE404_O.jpg
Greek, Zeus, Syracusan Imitation Ptolemaic Diobol of Hieron II ca. 265BCPtolemy II Philadelphos - Syracuse Issue of Hieron II - Diobol - 285/246BC
AE 26.9-28.4mm : 14.736gm : 2h
OBV - Laureate Zeus facing right
REV - Eagle standing on thunderbolt facing left, wing open, head facing left, no leg monogram, shield in left field, N control letter behind eagle tail at right. BASILEOS right, PTOLEMAIOY left
REF - Svoronos 619
NOTE - This type actually struck in Syracuse by Hieron II ca. 265BC. New research just published on this subject (2007). The paper that presents this new attribution is available online at www.ptolemybronze.com.
1 commentsPtolemAE
Hiketas.jpg
Hiketas, Calciati 157v, 287 – 278 BC, Syracuse, SicilyLaureate head of Zeus Hellanios left; trophy behind. Eagle standing left on thunderbolt.

Remnants of SURAKOSIWN on back.
Of the Syracusans
Jonathan N
Larissa_Thessaly.JPG
Larissa, ThessalyCirca 356-342 BC
AR Drachm (21mm, 5.83g)
O: Head of nymph Larissa facing slightly left, hair in ampyx, wearing single-pendant earring and plain necklace.
R: Horse standing right, preparing to lie down; ΛΑΡΙΣ−ΑΙΩΝ above and below.
Lorber L-III; BCD Thessaly II, 319; SNG Cop 120-121
ex Praefectus Coins

In my opinion one of the most beautiful coin types of all time, this design from Thessaly was an homage to the Syracusan master engraver Kimon and his artistic tetradrachm featuring a similar nymph, Arethusa. The nymph is depicted in her natural element of water, with her hair ‘floating’ about her face.
Facing head coins represent some of the greatest achievements in Greek numismatic art, and this type upholds that claim most admirably.
4 commentsEnodia
29DD6884-5BDE-4C08-962C-1EB8308FBFAF.jpeg
Larissa, Thessaly, Greece, c. 356 - 342 B.C.The obverse of most of the coins of Larissa depicted the nymph of the local spring, Larissa, for whom the town was named. The choice was probably inspired by the famous coins of Kimon depicting the Syracusan nymph Arethusa. The reverse usually depicted a horse in various poses. The horse was an appropriate symbol of Thessaly, a land of plains, which was well known for its horses. On other coins, there is a male figure, probably the eponymous hero of the Thessalians, Thessalos.
GS73426. Silver drachm, BCD Thessaly II 324; BMC Thessaly p. 31, 76; SNG Cop 122; HGC 4 453, gF, etched surfaces, porous, Larissa mint, weight 5.781g, maximum diameter 20.4mm, die axis 315o, c. 356 - 342 B.C.; obverse head of nymph Larissa facing slightly left, wearing ampyx, earring, and wire necklace; reverse horse crouching right, left foreleg raised, preparing to lie down, ΛAPIΣ/AIΩN in two lines, first line in exergue, ending above; ex BCD Collection with his tag noting, "G/ni ex Thessaly, May 1997, SFr 60.-"
1 commentsMark R1
3412194.jpg
Lokris. Locri Opuntii circa 360 BC. Stater AR22mm., 11,96g.
Head of Persephone to left, hair wreathed with three leaves of wheat, wearing necklace and a triple drop earring / OΠON-TIΩN; Ajax advancing to right, holding a sword in right hand and a shield decorated with griffin or a snake in left, below, helmet and spear.
extremely fine
BMC 18; McClean 5428
This wonderful head of Persephone reminds us of Euainetos and his Syracusan Arethusa heads. Ajax on reverse (ΑΙΑΣ Ο ΛΟΚΡΟΣ) was son of Oileus, the king of Locris. He was called the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax to distinguish him from Ajax the Great, son of Telamon. The Opuntian Locrians worshiped Ajax as their national hero, and so great was their faith in him that when they drew up their army in battle, they always left one place open for him, believing that, although invisible to them, he was fighting for and among them.
Leo
Deka_200.jpg
ReplicaSyracusan Dekadrachm
circa 19th century AD
(silver-plated bronze)
Cast replica in the style of Kimon.
Enodia
CsIIDOC179.jpg
Sear 1108 - Follis - 652-653 AD (Indictional Year 11) - Syracuse mintEmperor: Constans II (r. 641-668 AD)
Date: 652-653 AD (Indictional Year 11)
Condition: EF
Denomination: Follis

Obverse: No legend
Constans standing, facing, with long beard, wearing chlamys and crown with cross. In right hand, globus cruciger. To left, I/N/; to right, I/.

Reverse: Large "M"; Above, cross.
Exergue: SCL

Syracuse mint
DO 179; Sear 1108
3.85g; 25.2mm; 180°

Overstruck on an earlier Syracusan Follis of Constans II.
Pep
Sear_1207.jpg
Sear 1207Constantine IV Pogonatus (668 – 685 CE) Follis, weight 4.92g, diameter 30mm. Mint of Syracuse. Overstruck on a Syracusan follis of Constans II [Sear 1109 or 1110].Abu Galyon
s-l500_(1).jpg
Sicily, Syracuse. Hiketas II. (Circa 287-278 BC)AE 22, 10.11 g

Obverse: Wreathed head of Persephone left; ear of grain behind; ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ (SYRAKOSION)

Reverse: Female driving biga right; star above, A in exergue

CNS II 123 Ds 95; SNG ANS 759 var.

Hiketas (Greek: Ἱκέτας or Ἱκέτης) was tyrant of Syracuse, during the interval between the reign of Agathokles and that of Pyrrhus. After the death of Agathokles (289 BC), his supposed assassin, Maenon, put to death Archagathus, the grandson of Agathocles; and assuming the command of the army directed his arms against Syracuse. Hereupon Hicetas was sent against him by the Syracusans, with a considerable army: but after the war had continued for some time, without any decisive result, Maenon, by calling in the aid of the Carthaginians, obtained the superiority, and the Syracusans were compelled to conclude an ignominious peace. Soon after ensued the revolution which led to the expulsion of the Campanian mercenaries (originally hired by Agathokles), afterwards known as the Mamertines: and it must have been shortly after this that Hiketas established himself in the supreme power, as we are told by Diodorus that he ruled nine years. He was at length expelled from Syracuse by Thynion, an event which took place not long before the arrival of Pyrrhus in Sicily, and must therefore be referred either to 279 or 278 BC.
1 commentsNathan P
302798_0_zoom.jpg
Sicily. Messana. The Mamertinoi. Ae Quadruple Unit (288-278 BC).27 mm, 19.38 g

Obverse: APEOΣ Laureate head of Ares to right; behind, helmet.

Reverse: MAMEPTINΩN Eagle standing to left on thunderbolt.

Calciati I, 92, 3. SNG ANS 402.

After the tyrant of Syracuse Agathocles died in 289 BC, the majority of his mercenaries became unemployed. Some bands dispersed but the Mamertines attempted to stay in Syracuse. Hailing from Campania (a region in southern Italy), perhaps related to the Samnites, the civilized Greeks did not take kindly to a large armed mob of uncultured barbaroi loitering around the Hellenistic center of Sicily. Barred from settling in Syracuse, these mercenaries headed north until they came across the town of Messana on the north-east tip of Sicily.

The city offered its hospitality to the band of mercenaries and in return the mercenaries slaughtered many of the men and leading figures of the city and claimed it for themselves. The women and possessions were split among the mercenaries as their own. It was at this time that the mercenaries seem to officially proclaim themselves as the Mamertines as they began to mint their own coinage. The name Mamertines means the sons of Mamers, Mamers being an Italic war god with the Latin equivalent of Mars. Soon afterwards, the Italian town of Rhegium suffered a similar fate.

With Messana and its sister city of Rhegium across the strait, the Mamertines held a commanding position in Sicily and the shipping routes that passed through the Strait of Messina. With Messana as a base of operations the Mamertines were able to plunder, pirate, and raid the surrounding countryside with considerable success. Syracuse was unable to react immediately due to its internal political disorder. This left Sicily split between Carthage in the west and disunited Greeks and Mamertines elsewhere.

When Hiero II of Syracuse attempted to dislodge the Mamertines in 265, they enlisted the aid of a nearby Carthaginian fleet, whose swift intervention forced Hiero to withdraw. The Mamertines soon regretted the Carthaginian occupation and appealed to Rome for protection, citing their status as Italians. Rome was hesitant to become entangled in a conflict outside of Italy or to come to the aid of the piratical Mamertines. Yet Rome's fear of a Carthaginian stronghold so close to Italy—and greed for plunder in what they assumed would be a short war against Syracuse—outweighed their concerns. The Romans invaded Sicily and marched to the Mamertines' aid.

When the Mamertines learned that the Romans were approaching, they persuaded the Carthaginian general to withdraw his forces from the city. The general, regretting this decision to abandon the city, took the fateful steps of allying with Hiero. The combined Carthaginian and Syracusan forces then besieged Messana. After attempts to negotiate a truce failed, Carthage and Rome began hostilities. Both sides were confident of a quick and decisive victory. Neither side anticipated the horror that was to come: a ferocious, generation-long war that would transform the Roman and Carthaginian empires, upend the balance of power in the western Mediterranean, and set the stage for Hannibal's avenging assault on Italy.
Nathan P
IMG_2764.JPG
SICILY: KersiniSICILY: The Kersini, 357-344 BC, AE Tetras, 7.51g, 21mm, 4h. Bearded (?) head right, dotted border/Forepart of Achelous Kersini(?) as a man-faced bull right. Campana CNAI "Kersini" 1; MSP I, 41 (this coin illustrated).

These pieces are attributed to the Kersini because they were found with other coins carrying the inscription KERSINON; both types of coins come from the area of the modern-day St. Caterina Villarmosa. The Kersini were most likely a group of Campanian mercenaries employed by one of the Syracusan tyrants of the 5th-4th Century BC, who were given some land or municipality once their service was complete.

Ex. CNG eAuction 327, lot 329 (the Continental Collection) mis-described as a bronze hemilitra from Agyrion.

One of six known.
Molinari
GAE404_O~1.jpg
Syracusan Imitation Ptolemaic Diobol of Hieron II ca. 265BCPtolemy II Philadelphos - Syracuse Issue of Hieron II - Diobol - 285/246BC
AE 26.9-28.4mm : 14.736gm : 2h
OBV - Laureate Zeus facing right
REV - Eagle standing on thunderbolt facing left, wing open, head facing left, no leg monogram, shield in left field, N control letter behind eagle tail at right. BASILEOS right, PTOLEMAIOY left
REF - Svoronos 619
NOTE - This type actually struck in Syracuse by Hieron II ca. 265BC. New research just published on this subject (2007). The paper that presents this new attribution is available online at www.ptolemybronze.com.
1 commentsPtolemAE
   
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