SICILY. Syracuse. Dionysios I, 405-367 BC. 50 Litrai or Dekadrachm (Gold, 11 mm, 2.92 g, 6 h), signed by E... (?). Circa 405-400 or somewhat later. ΣYPAKO-ΣIΩN Youthful head of the river-god Anapos to left; to left, between Σ-Y of the ethnic, small E (artist's signature?). Rev. Horse prancing right above exergual band inscribed [ΣY]PAKOΣI[ΩN]. Basel 477 (this coin). Bérend 4.4 (this coin, D2/R2). Jameson 826 (same dies). SNG ANS 342 (same dies). A beautiful and very well centered example of this difficult issue, struck from dies of fine style. Light die rust on the reverse, otherwise, about extremely fine.


It has been suggested that the youthful male head on the obverse of the 50 Litrai of Dionysios I may represent the river-god Anapos and refer to the siege of Syracuse by the Carthaginians in 397/6 BC, in the course of which the besiegers, who were camping in the swampy riverbed of the Anopos, were stricken by a dreadful plague. The victorious Syracusans levied a ransom of 300 silver talents from the Carthaginian general Himilko, who returned to Africa, where he bricked himself up in his house and starved himself to death in shame. It is worth noting that the small letter on the obverse between the first two letters of the ethnic, which Bérend reads as E, is, perhaps, an artist's signature, as it also appears on D1, albeit this time behind the head of Anapos, between Σ-I of the ethnic.