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Æ - Pyrrhus
| Issuer | Syracuse (Sicily) |
|---|---|
| Year | 278 BC - 276 BC |
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| Currency | Litra |
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| Reverse description | A tall torch, depicted upright and centrally placed, enclosed within a wreath of oak leaves and acorns tied at the base. The oak wreath is rendered in fine detail with individual lobed leaves and acorn cups clearly articulated in high relief. The torch, a symbol associated with the cult of Demeter and Persephone, occupies the full height of the inner field. No legend or additional devices appear on the reverse. The overall composition is bold and well-centred, typical of the Pyrrhic-era bronze coinage of Syracuse. |
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| Mint | Syracuse |
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| Additional information |
Pyrrhus of Epirus occupied Syracuse — and effectively controlled much of Sicily — between 278 and 276 BC, invited by the Syracusans and other Greek cities desperate for a military leader capable of checking Carthaginian expansion. His Sicilian campaign came directly off the back of his Italian wars against Rome, making these bronzes products of one of antiquity's most overstretched military machines. He came within striking distance of the Carthaginian stronghold at Lilybaeum before his siege collapsed, partly through supply failures and partly through the alienation of his Sicilian Greek allies by his increasingly autocratic demands.
He departed Sicily in 276 BC, reportedly lamenting what a fine battlefield he was leaving for Rome and Carthage.