Litra

Himera's final decades were defined entirely by Carthaginian pressure from the west. The city had already survived one major Carthaginian assault — the Battle of Himera in 480 BC, where the Carthaginian general Hamilcar was killed and his forces routed — but the second campaign of 409 BC proved fatal. Hannibal Mago sacked and destroyed the city utterly, reportedly sacrificing 3,000 Himeran prisoners on the very spot where Hamilcar had died. Coins struck in this terminal period, including this litra, were among the last produced before the mint ceased to exist.