SICILY. Himera. 483/2-472 BC. Didrachm (Silver, 20 mm, 8.72 g, 9 h). HIMERA Rooster standing left.
Rev. Crab within shallow incuse. Basel 301 (
this coin). Jenkins, Himera, pl. 3, 4 (
same dies). Westermark, Himera, 42.1 (
this coin, O9/R35). A lovely and beautifully toned piece. The usual light die wear on the obverse
, otherwise, extremely fine.
From the Kleinkunst Collection and from the collections of A. D. Moretti, Numismatica Ars Classica 13, 8 October 1998, 301 and L. Vierordt, J. Schulman [173], 5-6 June 1930, 29.
The famous Himera didrachms with a crab on the reverse were struck during the rule of the tyrant Thrasydaios, son of Theron of Akragas (circa 488-473/2 BC). Thrasydaios reformed the coinage of his newly gained seat of power by adapting the Attic weight standard and by placing the emblem of his hometown Akragas, the crab, on the reverse. The obverse type, on the other hand, remained unchanged: it shows a rooster, Himera's coat of arms, which perhaps served as a pun on the city's name, since Himera translates as 'day' and the birds famously crow at daylight.
