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Stater - Agathokles
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 317 BC - 289 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Litra |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, depicted in full flight to the left with wings spread and forelegs extended in a dynamic galloping posture. The musculature of the body and the feathering of the outstretched wing are rendered with considerable artistic skill. Beneath the body of Pegasus, two triskeles symbols are positioned in the lower field — one to the left and one to the right — serving as secondary control marks or civic emblems associated with the Syracusan mint under Agathokles. The composition fills the flan effectively, with no legend present. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Agathokles seized power in Syracuse in 317 BC through a coup of extraordinary violence — he summoned the citizen assembly, then had his mercenaries slaughter several thousand political opponents on the spot. His subsequent coinage, including this stater, funded a war machine that took the fight directly to Carthage in 310 BC, the first time any Greek commander had landed an offensive army on African soil. The gambit nearly worked.
The Pegasi variety reference suggests minor die differences from the primary emission, likely reflecting the multiple workshops operating under pressure during his North African campaigns.