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100 Litrai - Dionysios I
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.79 g |
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| Obverse description | Facing three-quarter left, the head of the nymph Arethusa is rendered in high relief with elaborately waved hair drawn up and secured in a sphendone ornamented with a star, and adorned with a beaded necklace, a bar earring, and a triple-pendant earring. A barley grain appears behind the head, accompanied by the engraver's signature KI — attributed to the master die-cutter Kimon — affirming the exceptional artistic quality of this issue. The portrait displays the refined, almost sculptural naturalism characteristic of the finest Syracusan coinage of the late fifth to early fourth century BC. A partially preserved ethnic legend [Σ]ΥΡΑ[ΚΟΣΙΟΝ] accompanies the design. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a nude, youthful Heracles kneeling to the right upon rocky ground, his head turned to face the viewer frontally in a bold and technically demanding composition. With both arms outstretched, he strangles the Nemean lion, whose body is pressed beneath him, in direct allusion to the hero's First Labour. An ivy leaf appears in the upper right field, serving as a subsidiary symbol. The ethnic legend ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΟΝ is inscribed across the field, identifying the issuing city. The vigorous, dynamically posed figure reflects the high artistic standards of Syracusan die engraving under the patronage of Dionysios I. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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