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Dilitron
| Issuer | Messana |
|---|---|
| Year | 338 BC - 318 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 |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 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 | An elaborately rendered trident head occupies the central field, its three tines rising from a decorated shaft adorned with scrollwork and foliate ornament at the junction, reflecting the refined artistic sensibility of late Classical Sicilian bronze coinage. Two dolphins are depicted curving downward along each lateral side of the trident, their bodies gracefully framing the central device. The ethnic legend MEΣΣANIΩN is distributed around the field, identifying the issuing city of Messana. The overall composition is symmetrical and well-balanced, making effective use of the available flan. The reverse design reinforces Messana's close association with maritime power and the cult of Poseidon. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Messana's bronze coinage of this period falls squarely within the city's recovery following the Carthaginian sack of 396 BC, after which the site was resettled — largely by Messenian exiles from the Peloponnese — under the name Messene before reverting to Messana. The dilitron denomination, a double litra unit rooted in the Sicilian bronze-by-weight tradition, reflects the broader shift across Greek Sicily toward fiduciary bronze as silver grew scarcer under the pressures of near-constant Carthaginian warfare. The date range coincides with Timoleon's reorganization of Sicilian Greek cities after 344 BC.