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12 Litrai - Fifth Democracy
| Issuer | Syracuse (Sicily) |
|---|---|
| Year | 214 BC - 212 BC |
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| Currency | Litra |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena facing left, rendered in fine high relief characteristic of late Syracusan coinage. The goddess wears a Corinthian helmet pushed back on the head, its bowl decorated with a small griffin apotropaic device at the bowl, and surmounted by a long, flowing horsehair crest that sweeps gracefully to the right. Wavy locks of hair escape from beneath the helmet and fall along the neck and cheek, framed by a pendant earring. The portrait is executed in a masterful, naturalistic style, enclosed within a finely beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Syracuse's Fifth Democracy was not built to last. These litrai were struck in the final years of an independent Syracuse, as the city lurched between Roman and Carthaginian pressure following the death of Hiero II in 215 BC. The pro-Carthaginian faction prevailed politically, pulling Syracuse into the Second Punic War on the wrong side — a decision that brought Marcellus and his legions to the walls in 214 BC.
The siege lasted two years and ended in 212 BC with the city's sack. Archimedes died in that assault. Coinage of the Fifth Democracy thus has a hard terminus: nothing was struck after the Romans took the mint.