Æ15

Thourioi was founded in 444/3 BC as a Panhellenic colony on the site of destroyed Sybaris, with Herodotus among its early settlers and Hippodamos of Miletos likely involved in planning its grid layout. The city's coinage from this period reflects the turbulent decades following Athens' catastrophic Sicilian Expedition of 415–413 BC, which had direct consequences for Thourioi — the city had awkwardly attempted neutrality, and pro-Athenian citizens were subsequently expelled by a Spartan-backed faction around 413 BC.

Small bronze issues of this type circulated locally as fractional currency during a period of shifting political allegiance in Magna Graecia.