Gold Stater of Syracuse, 5.77 g.

Gold Stater of Syracuse, 5.77 g.

Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

c. 304-289 BCE

Obverse: Head of Athena to right, wearing Corinthian helmet with crest and running griffin, earring, and necklace.

Reverse: Winged thunderbolt; ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ: of King Agathokles; below, monogram.

Style/Period: Hellenistic

Although Athena was important in her own right in Syracuse, where she had had a temple since the early fifth century, the primary significance of the type of the obverse of this coin is that it copies the obverse of gold staters and distaters issued by Alexander the Great and his successors (see coins 91.055, 91.056). In associating himself with Alexander, one of the great conquerors of all time, Agathokles refers to his own military successes over the Carthaginians. The type also resembles the reverse of the coins of Corinth, which were minted and widely circulated in Sicily after the Corinthian tyrant Timoleon liberated Syracuse from the tyrant Dionysios II and established himself there in 344 BCE.
The reverse depicts the winged thunderbolt usually associated with Zeus. The title of basileus or king has been added to Agathokles’ name, the first royal title ever taken by a Syracusan ruler; in this he was influenced by the precedent of Hellenistic successors of Alexander in the east, who began adopting the title in 404 BCE (see coin 91.096).
-- Kelly Swett Riordan, LU '93

Bibliography: A Catalogue of the Greek Coins in the British Museum: Sicily (Bologna 1963) 199, no. 419

Former collection of Ottilia Buerger. Purchased in Bank Leu auction, May 8, 1979.

91.035

Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890