Onkia

Akragas was among the wealthiest poleis in the ancient Greek world during the fifth century BC, its prosperity built on sulfur exports and agricultural trade routed through its southern Sicilian harbor. This cast bronze onkia belongs to the city's earliest fiduciary issues — bronze coinage that functioned as fractional currency in local markets where silver was too valuable for small transactions. Cast rather than struck, these pieces were produced by pouring molten metal into clay or stone molds, a technique that leaves distinctive surface textures and occasional casting bubbles still visible on surviving specimens.