Didrachm

Segesta was never a Greek colony — it was Elymian, a people of disputed origin whose presence in northwestern Sicily predated Greek settlement on the island. The city adopted Greek coinage conventions wholesale, including this didrachm format, almost certainly to facilitate trade with Greek neighbors and mercenaries. The timing of this issue coincides with a period when Segesta was actively courting Athenian military intervention against Selinus, a campaign of diplomatic pressure that would eventually contribute to Athens launching its catastrophic Sicilian Expedition of 415 BC.