Greek Silver & Bronze Coins

Lot 4898    SESSION 16 - 9.30AM FRIDAY 16 APRIL    Greek Silver & Bronze Coins

Estimate $2,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au

SICILY, Syracuse, Philistis wife of Hieron II (275-215 B.C.), silver sixteen litrai, (13.00 grams), obv. diademed and veiled head of Philistis to left, behind wreath, rev. quadriga to right driven by Nike with horses walking, above cross and **[B]ASILISSAS*, below **FILISTIDOS*, (S.989, SNG ANS 872-3, Caltabiano [CCO] 163, A. Burnett, "The Enna Hoard and the silver coinage of the Syracusan Democracy," SNR 62 [1983], 24). Bright, minor cleaning marks, otherwise nearly extremely fine and rare.

After a long and distinguished reign marked by moderation and stability, Hieron II was sufficiently assiduous to avoid any imperial aspirations in favour of loyalty to Rome, the prosperity of his people and family. In 218-216, while the Second Punic War was raging in Italy, he provided a powerful counterweight to any Carthaginian ambitions. He not only cooperated at sea with the Republic, but sent a contingent of 1500 troops and money in the form of a newly reformed currency in silver and gold, based on multiples of the traditional Sicilian silver unit of about 0.86 gram, the litra. The most numerous issue of this new coinage was that in the name of his queen, Philistis, with her head shown wearing the royal diadem below a veil that inevitably recalls the portrait of Arsino‰ II at Alexandria. Nike as the charioteer of the reverse biga is obviously auspicious of final victory.