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SICILY, AKRAGAS
AR Hemidrachm (14.76mm, 1.86g, 2h)
Struck 420-406 BC
Obverse: Eagle facing left, standing on and tearing at hare
Reverse: Crab; below, fish swimming right
References: SNG ANS 1003-9
Well-centered strike with attractive toning.
The ancient city of Akragas came into being around 582 BC, as a colony founded by Greeks from Gela, a city about 40 miles to the east. The site was well-chosen, strategically located on a high plateau near the Hypsas and Acragas rivers and controlling a vast and rich agricultural area.
By the 5th century BC, Akragas had become the second-largest city on the island (behind Syracuse), with a population of perhaps 200,000 people, and had become a leader in the art and culture of the Classical period. Part of that artistic brilliance was manifested in the city’s coinage, which includes some of the most beautiful and recognized coins of the ancient world. This coin, though small, showcases that artistic talent with finely rendered naturalistic images of various creatures, notably the crab, which was the symbol of the ancient city.
Coleção : Greek - Classical period