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Litra
| Issuer | Naxos (Sicily) |
|---|---|
| Year | 461 BC - 430 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Litra |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Bearded male head in left profile, identified as Dionysos, wearing an ivy wreath with berries rendered in fine relief atop long, wavy hair. The facial features are rendered with expressive archaic-classical naturalism, including a prominent nose, full lips partially obscured by a carefully striated beard, and a strong jawline. The die-work reflects the accomplished engraving traditions of Sicilian mint artisans of the early Classical period. The field is plain, and the entire design is enclosed within a beaded border visible at the coin's periphery. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large, naturalistically rendered bunch of grapes hangs centrally in the field, its individual berries depicted as rounded granules in high relief, flanked on either side by detailed vine leaves with clearly articulated lobes and veining. The Greek ethnic inscription NAX I appears above the grape cluster, distributed across the upper field. A small six-pointed star or astral symbol is visible in the lower left field. The composition is bold and emblematic, reflecting Naxos's association with Dionysos and viticulture as civic identity. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Naxos was the oldest Greek colony in Sicily, founded by Chalcidian settlers around 734 BC, and its mint was among the first on the island to produce silver coinage. The city was destroyed by Dionysios I of Syracuse in 403 BC — its population enslaved or dispersed — which permanently ended production. These litrai date to the generation before that destruction, struck during a period of relative autonomy following the expulsion of the Syracusan-backed tyranny around 461 BC.
The litra denomination itself functioned as the standard Sicilian silver unit, pegged to local weight conventions rather than the Aeginetan or Euboic standards dominant elsewhere in the Greek world.