Sikyon occupied an awkward position during the Peloponnesian War — nominally allied with Sparta yet geographically squeezed between Corinth and Argos, two powers with sharply conflicting loyalties. The city's coinage from this period reflects a mint operating under real political pressure, producing issues that circulated across the northeastern Peloponnese at a moment when alliance networks were being tested and redrawn almost annually. The dove type associated with Sikyonian staters has long been linked to the city's role as a religious center, though the specific sanctuary connection remains debated among specialists.
Sikyon occupied an awkward position during the Peloponnesian War — nominally allied with Sparta yet geographically squeezed between Corinth and Argos, two powers with sharply conflicting loyalties. The city's coinage from this period reflects a mint operating under real political pressure, producing issues that circulated across the northeastern Peloponnese at a moment when alliance networks were being tested and redrawn almost annually. The dove type associated with Sikyonian staters has long been linked to the city's role as a religious center, though the specific sanctuary connection remains debated among specialists.