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Tetradrachm - Dionysius I
| Issuer | Syracuse |
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| Year | 405 BC - 400 BC |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Fast quadriga driven to the left, the charioteer depicted in long chiton with reins extended; above, Nike flying right to crown the horses. In the exergue, a dolphin swimming right over a dotted ground line, with a second dolphin visible below. The composition reflects the vigorous early Syracusan style associated with the workshop of Euainetos, combining dynamic movement with fine relief work. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ |
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| Additional information |
Dionysius I seized power in Syracuse in 405 BC, the same year Carthage sacked and destroyed Akragas, Gela, and Kamarina in quick succession. The timing was not coincidental — the military catastrophe created the political vacuum he needed. These tetradrachms were struck in the early years of his tyranny, a period when Syracuse was simultaneously fortifying the Epipolae plateau and rebuilding its military capacity for what would become decades of grinding war with Carthage.
The engravers working under Dionysius included some of the most accomplished die-cutters of the ancient Greek world, several of whom signed their work — a practice that had emerged in Syracuse in the preceding decades and continued under his patronage.