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Dekadrachm - Dionysios I
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 405 BC - 400 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Facing left, the magnificent head of the nymph Arethusa rendered in high relief, her hair secured by an ampyx across the brow and gathered into a fine net behind, with loose locks falling about the neck. She wears a pendant earring and a pearl necklace. Four dolphins surround her head in the field: two swimming toward one another before her face, one descending behind her head, and one nestled beneath the neck truncation. The ethnic legend ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ arcs around the periphery. The portrait is executed in the masterful style associated with the engraver Kimon, displaying extraordinary sculptural depth and refinement. |
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| Additional information |
These large silver pieces were struck under Dionysios I following his seizure of power in Syracuse and almost certainly funded — or commemorated — the massive military buildup he undertook against Carthage after the catastrophic fall of Akragas in 406 BC. The financial demands of maintaining a mercenary army of the scale Dionysios employed were extraordinary, and the dekadrachm's high face value made it a practical instrument for large military payments rather than everyday commerce.
The series is closely associated with the engraver Kimon, whose signed dies are among the most technically accomplished in the Greek world. Boehringer's die study remains the essential reference for distinguishing the sequence of issues within this compressed production window.