Lot 9
Sicily. Syracuse. Deinomenid Tyranny, 485-466 BC. AR Tetradrachm (17.10 g), struck c. 483-480 BC. Charioteer in walking quadriga right; Nike flying right to crown the horses. Reverse: Diademed head of Arethusa right, hair bound into krobylos; four dolphins around, clockwise; ethnic around and between. Boehringer 62; Rizzo pl. XXXIV, no. 20. Attractively toned, and retaining much luster in the fields. With splendid late archaic portrait of Arethusa -- perhaps the best in this series. NGC graded About Uncirculated.
Syracuse, the greatest and richest city of ancient Sicily, was established as a Corinthian colony about 733 BC. The earliest settlement was on the island of Ortygia, in the northeast corner of the wide bay, and benefited from a fresh water spring belonging to the nymph Arethusa. Strategically placed for both commerce and shipping, Syracuse immediately flourished. Within a century of her own founding, the city itself was establishing colonies along the coast of Sicily. Syracuse's wealth was evident early on, in that it was the only Sicilian mint to issue tetradrachms from the inception of its coinage, circa 515 BC.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000.
Ex Leu 59, May 17, 1994, no. 65; and, Numismatica Ars Classica 4, February 27, no. 56.
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| Realized $16,100 |
