Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVIII – Sessions 1-4 . 101 Numistats ref: 672592
No match
Greek
Category
SICILY, Syracuse. Agathokles. 317-289 BC. AV Drachm – Hemistater (16mm, 4.30 g, 9h). Struck circa 317-310 BC. Head of Apollo left, wearing laurel wreath / Charioteer, wearing long chiton, holding kentron in extended right hand, reins in left, driving fast biga right; triskeles below, ΣYP-A-[KO]-ΣIΩN around. Bérend, l’or, pl. 9, 1; BAR Issue 1; HGC 2, 1276; SNG ANS 549; Dewing 935; Gulbenkian 328; McClean 2813; Pozzi 639–40. Trace deposits, a little off center on reverse. Near EF.
Ex Stack’s Bowers Galleries (16 August 2021), lot 42057; Auctiones AG 13 (23 June 1983), lot 94.
Agathokles was born in Himera circa 361 BC, the son of a potter who moved the family to Syracuse in the 340s BC. Tiring of his father's trade, Agathokles became a soldier and quickly established himself as an able leader. Agathokles seized power at the head of a mercenary army in a bloody coup in 317 BC. Over the next few years, he strengthened his army and created a formidable navy, and used them to expand his power base throughout Sicily. This inevitably led him into conflict with Carthage, which still controlled territory in western Sicily. The war lasted from 311-306 BC and only resulted in each side becoming more entrenched in their respective parts of Sicily, with the border between them established along the Halycus River. In 304 BC, imitating the famous Diadochs in the east, Agathokles declared himself king of Sicily, though his power only extended across the eastern part of the island. His later years were more concerned with the consolidation of his power than with expansion. Seeing that none of his progeny could effectively rule in his place, in 289 BC, upon his death bed, Agathokles restored the Syracusan democracy.
The coinage of Syracuse during Agathokles' reign saw a flowering of new types and denominations. While he retained some of the traditional Syracusan types, such as the head of Arethousa surrounded by dolphins, many of his coins presented new types that were more in line with the royal issues throughout the Greek kingdoms to the east. Herakles, Apollo, and Athena were commonly found on his issues, and he even issued an unprecedented series of electrum, a metal that had not been used before at Syracuse. As would be expected, his final phase of coinage saw the royal title used for the first time on coins of Syracuse, a trend that continued on many issues under the city's subsequent monarchs. Description
Ex Stack’s Bowers Galleries (16 August 2021), lot 42057; Auctiones AG 13 (23 June 1983), lot 94.
Agathokles was born in Himera circa 361 BC, the son of a potter who moved the family to Syracuse in the 340s BC. Tiring of his father's trade, Agathokles became a soldier and quickly established himself as an able leader. Agathokles seized power at the head of a mercenary army in a bloody coup in 317 BC. Over the next few years, he strengthened his army and created a formidable navy, and used them to expand his power base throughout Sicily. This inevitably led him into conflict with Carthage, which still controlled territory in western Sicily. The war lasted from 311-306 BC and only resulted in each side becoming more entrenched in their respective parts of Sicily, with the border between them established along the Halycus River. In 304 BC, imitating the famous Diadochs in the east, Agathokles declared himself king of Sicily, though his power only extended across the eastern part of the island. His later years were more concerned with the consolidation of his power than with expansion. Seeing that none of his progeny could effectively rule in his place, in 289 BC, upon his death bed, Agathokles restored the Syracusan democracy.
The coinage of Syracuse during Agathokles' reign saw a flowering of new types and denominations. While he retained some of the traditional Syracusan types, such as the head of Arethousa surrounded by dolphins, many of his coins presented new types that were more in line with the royal issues throughout the Greek kingdoms to the east. Herakles, Apollo, and Athena were commonly found on his issues, and he even issued an unprecedented series of electrum, a metal that had not been used before at Syracuse. As would be expected, his final phase of coinage saw the royal title used for the first time on coins of Syracuse, a trend that continued on many issues under the city's subsequent monarchs. Description
Near EF
Grade
1725.75 EUR
Starting
2876.25 EUR
Estimate
EUR
Realized