Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Ancient GreekSicily Agrian
Bronze Coin
古希臘 西西里 阿吉里翁
青銅錢幣
Item number: A1166
Year: 350-330 BC
Material: Bronze
Size: 14.1 x 13.9 x 2.4 mm
Weight: 3.5 g
Provenance: Morton & Eden 2024
This is a bronze coin issued between 350-330 BC by Agyrium, a Greek colony in Sicily (modern-day Agira). The obverse features the head of Heracles, the hero of Greek mythology. According to the historian Diodorus of Sicily, Heracles is associated with altering local lakes and rivers and the founding of the city. The inscription on the left reads the city’s name, “ΑΓΥΡΙΝΑΙΟΝ” (Agyrium).
The reverse features a man-faced bull, representing the river god Achelous. According to myth, Achelous transformed into a bull to fight Heracles for the Deianira, the princess of Calydon, but was ultimately defeated. The inscription above, “ΠΑΛΑΓΚΑΙΟΣ” (Palankaios), is believed to refer to a river or river god. The lower part of the design is adorned with a laurel wreath.
Sicily, as part of the cultural sphere of “Magna Graecia” (a term referring to the network of colonies established by the Greeks from the 8th to 5th centuries BC in Anatolia, North Africa, and southern Italy), maintained strong connections with its mother cities. However, as more Greeks settled in Sicily, they increasingly came into conflict with the Carthaginians, who had already established their own colonies on the island. This tension led to a series of conflicts known as the “Sicilian Wars,” which ultimately resulted in a stalemate, with both the Greeks and Carthaginians establishing regional hegemony over the eastern and western parts of the island, respectively.
In the southeastern corner of the island, Syracuse, the largest Greek city-state in Sicily, experienced unpopular tyrannical rule under Dionysius the Elder and his son from 405 to 344 BC. Their defeat in wars against Carthage led the people to seek help from their mother city, Corinth. Corinth dispatched the general Timoleon, with the aid of other Sicilian Greek city-states, besieged Syracuse and ultimately defeated the younger Dionysius and the Carthaginian forces that had attempted an alliance. Timoleon restored democracy to the city-states and established a constitution to protect the rights of the people, encouraging further Greek migration to the island. During this same period, Agyrium was also established as a Greek colonial city.