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Diobol
| Issuer | Akragas |
|---|---|
| Year | 410 BC - 406 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Crab rendered in bold, high relief viewed from above, with all legs and both claws fully articulated in the characteristic Akragantine style; the carapace is finely modelled at centre. Below the crab, the ethnic legend ΣΙΛΑΝΟΣ is inscribed in two lines across the lower field in archaic Greek characters, likely referring to a magistrate's name. The overall treatment is vigorous and expressive, consistent with the finest Sicilian die-engraving of the late fifth century BC. |
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| Mintage | ND (410 BC - 406 BC) |
| Additional information |
Akragas issued gold coinage only under extreme pressure — the city had no tradition of gold striking, and these tiny pieces emerged directly from the threat of Carthaginian invasion that culminated in the city's destruction in 406 BC. The Carthaginian general Hannibal Mago had already sacked Selinus and Himera; Akragas was next. Emergency gold issues of this kind were almost certainly struck to pay mercenaries rather than for civic circulation, drawing on temple treasuries and private hoards melted under crisis conditions.
The multiple reference variants cited across SNG ANS, McClean, and Gulbenkian reflect genuine die diversity within what was a short, pressured production run of perhaps four years at most.