Lot 2009
Sicily, Syracuse. Deinomenid Tyranny. Silver Tetradrachm (17.13 g), 485-466 BC. Under Hieron I, ca. 475-470 BC. Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses. Reverse: ΣV-RAKO-ΣIO-N, diademed head of Arethusa right; four dolphins around clockwise. Boehringer grp. III, series XIid, 351 (V174/R246); Randazzo 521-3 (same rev. die). Wonderful detail and lustrous. Delicate light toning. Superb Extremely Fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP
From its foundation, Syracuse seems to have been ruled by an aristocratic oligarchy dominated by a group known as the Gamoroi. In the seventh and sixth centuries BC its power was challenged by rival aristocratic factions and would-be tyrants, but the Gamoroi always weathered the storms. The situation changed in 486 BC, when the Gamoroi were expelled from Syracuse in a democratic revolution and driven into exile. Unwilling to accept defeat, the Gamoroi invited Gelon I, the tyrant of Gela, to restore them to power. When faced with the might of the Geloan army, the democratic leaders wisely surrendered the city, but Gelon I neglected to return the Gamoroi to their former position. Instead, he established himself as the city's new tyrant and thereby founded the Deinomenid dynasty of Syracusan tyrants.The city flourished under Gelon I (ca. 485–478 BC) and his successor, Hieron I (ca. 478–467 BC), who together established Syracusan domination over many of theGreek and native Sikel cities of eastern Sicily, including Gela, Kamarina, Katane, Leontinoi, Megara Hyblaia, and Naxos. Through their victories over their Greek neighbors as well as the Carthaginians and Etruscans, they expanded the population of Syracuse and adorned it with opulent splendor. Nevertheless, increasing general discontent with the rule of tyrants in Sicily together with the weak character of Thrasyboulos, Heiron’s successor, led to the overthrow of the Deinomenids in ca. 465 BC.
Ex Tareq Hani Collection.
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| Realized $3,000 |
