Catalog
6 Litrai - 5th Democracy
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 214 BC - 212 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | A biga (two-horse chariot) driven at full gallop to the left, with a helmeted charioteer holding the reins and a long spear or torch. The chariot wheel is rendered with a six-spoke design in the lower left field. A control mark 'ΜΙ' appears to the right of the horses, while the ethnic legend ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ is inscribed along the lower exergual line in bold Greek characters. |
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| Mint | Syracuse Mint |
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| Additional information |
Syracuse's fifth democracy lasted barely two years. The city fell to Roman forces under Marcellus in 212 BC after a siege prolonged famously by Archimedes' defensive war machines — catapults and claw devices that reportedly lifted Roman ships from the water. This issue belongs to the final gasps of an independent Syracusan mint that had operated continuously for over three centuries. Marcellus wept, according to Plutarch, when he saw the city from the heights before sacking it.