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SICILY, Syracuse. Fifth Democracy. 214-212 BC. AR 12 Litrai (23mm, 10.24 g, 7h). Helmeted head of Athena left / Artemis standing left, drawing bow; at side, hound springing left; ΔA to left, ΣYPAKOΣIΩN to right. Burnett, Enna 8 (dies 2/c); BAR Issue 84; HGC 2, 1412; SNG Copenhagen 876 (same dies); SNG München 1432 (same dies). Lightly toned, underlying luster, slight doubling, faint scuff on obverse. EF.
Ex MACM inventory MMoCA19C; Numismatica Ars Classica 52 (7 October 2009), lot 82; Ars Antiqua II (4 October 2001), lot 45.
Hieron II, a loyal ally of Rome, died in 215 BC while the Romans were locked in a life-and-death struggle with Hannibal of Carthage. The throne of Syracuse then passed to his grandson, Hieronymos, a youth of only fifteen, who was under the baleful influence of his power-hungry uncle, Andranodoros. Witnessing the Roman debacles at Trebbia and Cannae, Andranodoros persuaded his nephew to renounce the Roman alliance and throw in with Carthage, from which he demanded, and received, a promise that he would rule of all Sicily. But the boy king’s brutish behavior against Syracuse’s nobility, including outrages against highborn women, soon aroused sentiment against the new regime, no doubt stirred by the pro-Roman faction. During a visit to Leontinoi in 214 BC, a cabal of soldiers murdered Hieronymos and his uncle. A new democratic government, the Fifth Democracy, was established, but its leaders foolishly decided to continue the alliance with Carthage. In 213 BC the Romans under Consul M. Claudius Marcellus laid siege to the city. For two years Syracuse held out, aided by advanced war machines built by the brilliant Archimedes, but it finally fell in 211 BC and suffered a brutal sacking, bringing to an end three centuries of Syracusan preeminence in Greek Sicily.
The three-year period of the restored democracy saw a surprisingly large and varied output of coinage, all the more remarkable as the city was under siege by the Romans throughout most of this episode. The coinage was quite diverse in its denominations, and used all metals: gold, silver, and bronze. Fifth Democracy silver is exceptionally diverse, with multiples of 2½, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 litrai. The bronze also has multiple denominations. Throughout the series, the types featured nearly all of the deities who ever graced a Syracusan coin, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to as many of the Olympian gods as possible while the city was imperiled.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session One, which will begin 13 May at 9 AM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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