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Æ - Fifth Democracy
| Issuer | Syracuse |
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| Year | 214 BC - 212 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing left, rendered in the refined Hellenistic style characteristic of Syracusan coinage. The deity's flowing hair falls in loose, naturalistic waves behind the neck, with a wreath of laurel leaves clearly delineated across the crown. The facial features are finely modeled, exhibiting a serene, idealized expression with a well-defined eye, aquiline nose, and slightly parted lips. The portrait fills the flan generously, with control marks visible in the lower field. |
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| Reverse description | The Dioskouroi — Kastor and Polydeukes — depicted as twin horsemen galloping in unison to the right, each raising his right arm in a gesture of salutation or acclamation. The riders are shown in dynamic, naturalistic posture atop their mounts, rendered in the vigorous style typical of late Syracusan bronzes. Control marks appear both above and below the equestrian group, serving as mint or magistrate identifiers. The ethnic legend ΣYPAKOΣIΩN is inscribed in the exergue below the horses, identifying the issuing city of Syracuse. |
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| Additional information |
Syracuse fell to Rome in 212 BC after a two-year siege made famous by the defensive siege engines designed by Archimedes, who was killed when the city was finally taken. This bronze issue belongs to the last phase of Syracusan civic independence — the so-called Fifth Democracy that briefly governed after the death of Hieronymus in 214 BC. The city's mint continued producing through the siege itself, making late examples potentially among the final coins struck before Roman forces under Marcellus breached the walls.