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Decadrachm - Dionysius I
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 400 BC - 380 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Litra |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Rough |
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| Additional information |
These decadrachms were almost certainly struck to pay Dionysius I's mercenary forces — Campanian, Iberian, and Greek soldiers who demanded hard coin and would accept nothing less. Dionysius was fighting a grinding series of wars against Carthage through much of this period, and large-denomination silver served the dual purpose of military payroll and political display. The dies were cut by the finest engravers of the ancient world, several of whom signed their work, a practice almost without parallel in Greek coinage.
The signed dies of Euainetos are the most celebrated among collectors, distinguishable from other hands in the series.