Æ Litra

Messana's bronze coinage of this period falls squarely within the turbulent years following Agathocles of Syracuse's seizure of power in 317 BC and the subsequent wars that reshaped Sicilian politics. The city changed hands repeatedly during this decade, passing between Syracusan control, Carthaginian pressure, and the ambitions of local dynasts — each shift capable of interrupting or redirecting mint output entirely.

The litra denomination itself was a Sicilian monetary unit rooted in pre-coinage weight standards, later adapted for bronze civic issues as silver became harder to source during prolonged conflict.