Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ29 - Hieron II
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 275 BC - 215 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Diademed and laureate head of Hieron II facing left, rendered in fine Hellenistic style with elaborately curled hair bound by a broad diadem adorned with leafy sprigs. The portrait exhibits strong, idealized features characteristic of the Syracusan royal coinage. A small triskeles symbol appears in the right field. The whole design is contained within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Armored cavalryman on horseback galloping to the right, wearing a Macedonian kausia and chlamys, wielding a long lance couched horizontally. The horse is depicted in full gallop with forelegs raised, rendered with dynamic energy and anatomical precision characteristic of Hellenistic military imagery. The Greek legend ΙΕΡΩΝΟΣ appears in the exergue below the horse. A small symbol appears in the lower right field. The scene is set within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Hieron II ruled Syracuse for over half a century — an extraordinary tenure for the ancient world — after maneuvering skillfully between Carthaginian and Roman power during the First Punic War. He initially allied with Carthage, then pivoted to Rome after the Battle of Mylae in 260 BC, securing a treaty that left Syracuse effectively autonomous and prosperous until his death in 215 BC.
This bronze issue circulated through one of the wealthiest cities in the western Mediterranean. Archimedes was working in Syracuse during much of this coinage's active life.