SICILY. Syracuse. Second Democracy, 466-405 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 28 mm, 17.14 g, 9 h), unsigned dies in the style of Eukleidas, circa 413-405. Female charioteer driving quadriga galloping to left, holding flaming torch in her right hand and reins in her left; above, Nike flying right, holding wreath in both hands; in exergue, grain ear to left. Rev. [ΣΥΡΑ]-ΚΟΣΙOΝ Head of Arethousa (?) to right, with hair bound in a bun at the top of her head, wearing triple-pendant earring and pearl necklace with frontal pendant; around, three dolphins swimming downward, one upward. Basel 466 (same dies). BMC 224. Fischer-Bossert, Coins, 62n (this coin) = Tudeer 62 (V21/R40). Gulbenkian 284 (same dies). HGC 2, 1338. McClean 2716 (same dies). Rizzo pl. XLVII, 8 (same dies). SNG Lockett 971-2 (same dies). Very rare and undoubtedly ranking among the finest known. Lightly toned and of exceptionally fine style, a splendid example of this spectacular issue. A few faint marks and with minor weakness on the obverse, otherwise, extremely fine.



This magnificent head of Arethousa (?) belongs to the œuvre of Eukleidas. The attribution is evident not only in the delicate stylistic features - the rounded chin and the playful curls along the hairline - but also in the obverse die V21, which was likewise employed for Eukleidas’ celebrated facing Athena, the earliest of the world-famous frontal Syracusan portraits of the signing artists. This unparalleled flowering of Greek die-engraving belongs to the period after the repulse of Athens’ great Sicilian expedition (415-413 BC), a turning point in the struggle between Sparta and its allies and the Athenian-led Delian League - events immortalized by Thukydides, perhaps the greatest of all Greek historians, in his account of the Peloponnesian War.

The annihilation of the Athenian armada brought Syracuse not only glory but also immense spoils. Part of this wealth was directed to support Sparta’s war effort, yet much was surely devoted to the rebuilding and embellishment of Syracuse itself. It is during this vibrant and turbulent phase of Syracusan history - the final years of the Second Democracy, which soon collapsed in the aftermath of the Athenian invasion and under the mounting Carthaginian threat, giving way to the tyranny of Dionysios - that engravers such as Eukleidas, Kimon, and Euainetos vied for artistic pre-eminence.

Our tetradrachm is a product of this rivalry: Eukleidas’ celebrated, dynamic quadriga is here joined by an extraordinarily expressive female portrait, whose identity remains a matter of debate. While traditionally interpreted as Arethousa, the absence of the familiar flowing locks that signify her watery aspect is striking. Some scholars have therefore suggested a Nike, perhaps an allusion to victory over the Athenians, though certainty is elusive. Equally unusual is the angle of the head: necklace and earring imply it is thrust forward, the gaze directed downwards, almost as if Eukleidas had conceived a sculpted bust set high upon a wall and looking down upon the viewer. To modern eyes this appears curious, and so we have chosen to present the portrait in a more conventional orientation, turning it outward.

It is precisely such details that reveal the extraordinary care invested by the Syracusan masters of the late fifth century BC in the conception and execution of their dies. The tetradrachm offered here surely ranks among the most beautiful and best-preserved Syracusan coins in existence.