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Litra
| 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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| Obverse description | Eagle standing left with wings spread, depicted in the act of landing or seizing prey, rendered in fine archaic relief characteristic of Sicilian coinage of the late fifth century BC. The bird is shown with naturalistic feather detail across the wings and body. The ethnic legend ΑΚΡΑΓΑΝΤΙΝΟΝ curves around the upper field, identifying the issuing city of Akragas. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΑΚΡΑΓΑΝΤΙΝΟΝ |
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| Additional information |
Akragas was one of the wealthiest cities in the ancient Greek world for much of the fifth century, but the window for this litra is narrow and grim. By 406 BC, a Carthaginian army under Hannibal Mago and Himilco had sacked the city after an eight-month siege, ending Akragantine coinage entirely for a generation. Small silver fractions struck in the final years before that destruction were likely produced partly to pay mercenaries as the siege closed in.