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.

物件編號: A1166

年代: 公元前 350-330 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 14.1 x 13.9 x 2.4 mm

重量: 3.5 g

來源: 莫頓與伊登 2024

這是一枚公元前350-330年，西西里島希臘殖民地阿吉里翁(現今的阿吉拉)發行的青銅錢幣。正面為古希臘神話英雄海克力斯的頭像，歷史學家西西里的迪奧多羅斯認為其改變當地的湖泊與河流與城市的建立有關。左側的銘文為城市名稱:阿吉里翁「ΑΓΥΡΙΝΑΙΟΝ」。

背面中央為人面公牛像，作為河神阿克洛奧斯的代表形象。依據神話紀載，為了迎娶卡呂冬公主德伊阿妮拉，其變身為公牛與海克力士決鬥最終失敗。上方銘文:帕蘭卡奧斯「ΠΑΛΑΓΚΑΙΟΣ」被認為是河流或河神的名稱。下方則以月桂葉環作為裝飾。

西西里島作為「大希臘」文化圈(公元前8世紀至5世紀古希臘人在在安納托利亞、北非以及南歐的義大利半島南部建立一系列殖民城邦的總稱)的一部分，許多殖民城市與其原城邦保持交流。然而隨著古希臘人的移入，逐漸與原先已在西西里建立殖民據點的迦太基人產生衝突，爆發一系列「西西里戰爭」，最終使雙方在該島東西部分別建立霸權而形成膠著。

而坐落該島東南角的希臘最大城邦敘拉古，公元前405-344年間狄奧尼西奧斯父子的僭主統治不得民心，與迦太基戰爭的失利使人民向母城邦科林斯尋求幫助。科林斯派出將領泰摩利昂在其他西西里希臘城邦的幫助下，圍攻敘拉古，最終擊敗企圖與迦太基聯手的小狄奧尼西奧斯及迦太基軍隊，恢復各城邦的民主制度，並設立憲法保障人民權利以鼓勵希臘移民遷入。阿吉里翁也於同一時期被確立為希臘殖民城邦。