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Trichalkon - Hieron II
| Issuer | Syracuse |
|---|---|
| Year | 274 BC - 216 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Central field displays a large value mark composed of a chi (X) accompanied by three vertical strokes (III), denoting the denomination of five-sixteenths of a litra, flanked to the left by two pellets. The ethnic legend ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ is inscribed in Greek along the upper arc of the coin. A small control mark or mint symbol appears in the lower field beneath the denomination sign. The design is bold and schematic, emphasizing the denomination within a plain, unadorned field. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΣΥΡΑΚΟΣΙΩΝ •XIII K |
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| Additional information |
Hieron II ruled Syracuse for over half a century after maneuvering brilliantly between Carthage and Rome, eventually securing a treaty with Rome in 263 BC that left him as a client king — one of the few Sicilian rulers to die in his bed during that catastrophic period. His bronze coinage functioned across a monetary system that supplied one of the ancient Mediterranean's most productive agricultural economies. The trichalkon represents the smallest practical denomination in that hierarchy.
Syracuse fell to Marcellus in 212 BC, four years after Hieron's death ended the alliance.