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Litrai
| Issuer | Uncertain Sicilian city |
|---|---|
| Year | 450 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΒΟΡΟ |
| Reverse description | Forepart of a boar advancing to right, rendered with compact musculature typical of Sicilian die-cutting of the Early Classical period; four barley grains are arranged symmetrically in the surrounding field, likely referencing local agricultural fertility. The entire design is contained within a shallow circular incuse, a characteristic feature of early Sicilian silver coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
The litra was the indigenous Sicilian monetary unit predating Greek colonial influence, rooted in a weight system tied to the local bronze economy rather than imported Aeginetan or Euboic standards. Silver litrai of this fractional weight circulated across the island during the fifth century as Greek and Sicel communities negotiated overlapping commercial networks — which is precisely why attribution remains so difficult. Without a clear ethnic, the coin falls into a contested space where numismatists have proposed everything from Sicel hill towns to minor Greek foundations with no surviving literary record.