SICILY. Kamarina (?). Circa 413-410 BC. Litra (Silver, 10 mm, 0.41 g, 1 h). ΣIKA Head of a horned river-god facing with flowing hair. Rev. IN-KA Aphlaston; around, six pellets. Boehringer, Der sizilische Stempelschneider SIKA, QT 14 (1985), pl. 1, 1 = Manganaro, Dai mikrà kermata al chalkokratos kassiteros, JNG 34 (1984), pl. 5, 78 (same dies). Salzmann, AKIS - Flussgott statt Stempelschneider, SM 158 (May 1990), p. 36. Rare. A beautifully toned example. Minor deposits, otherwise, extremely fine.


There has been considerable dispute over the attribution of this issue. Manganaro identifies the Sichaninoi or Ichaninoi, a local tribe that helped Syracuse in the fight against the Athenians in 415-413 BC, as the authority behind the issue, while Boehringer interpreted ΣIKA as the signature of a master engraver from Kamarina. Salzmann, on the other hand, reads the legend retrograde as AKIΣ, which is the name of a river in eastern Sicily, whose god would thus be shown on the obverse.