Leontini's silver litrai of this period were struck when the city was asserting itself as an independent power in eastern Sicily, culturally and politically distinct from Syracuse despite operating under constant Syracusan pressure. The litra was the native Sicilian weight standard predating the full adoption of the Greek drachm system, and these small silver pieces represent the monetary unit in its most direct local form.
SNG ANS 266 is the standard reference point for this type; the American Numismatic Society specimen was acquired as part of the foundational Sicilian holdings that shaped how the series is classified today.
Leontini's silver litrai of this period were struck when the city was asserting itself as an independent power in eastern Sicily, culturally and politically distinct from Syracuse despite operating under constant Syracusan pressure. The litra was the native Sicilian weight standard predating the full adoption of the Greek drachm system, and these small silver pieces represent the monetary unit in its most direct local form.
SNG ANS 266 is the standard reference point for this type; the American Numismatic Society specimen was acquired as part of the foundational Sicilian holdings that shaped how the series is classified today.