MESSENIA. Messene. Circa 183-182 BC. Tetradrachm (Silver, 26 mm, 16.84 g, 3 h), Sosikrates, magistrate. Diademed head of Demeter to right, wearing wreath of grain ears. Rev. ΜΕΣΣΑΝΙΩΝ / ΣΩΣΙΚΡ[Α] Zeus Ithomatas striding to right, hurling thunderbolt in his right hand and holding eagle perched right with wings spread on his left arm; to right, tripod. BCD Peloponnesos 710 (same dies). BMC 11. Grandjean 86 (D54/R71). HGC 5, 563. Very rare. Numerous minor marks and small scratches and with some flatness on the reverse, otherwise, very fine.



Messene and its surrounding region, Messenia, experienced perhaps one of the most tumultuous histories of any polis in the Peloponnese. In the late 8th century BC, driven by overcrowding in Sparta and the allure of Messenia’s fertile lands, the Spartans invaded their western neighbor. A second conflict followed between 685 and 668 BC, after which Sparta gained full control over Messenia, reducing the remaining population to a state of servitude. These Messenians became helots - serfs bound to the land - oppressed through a brutal regime that included periodic killings intended to instill fear and suppress rebellion.

This oppressive situation endured until 371 BC, when Theban forces under General Epaminondas decisively defeated Sparta at the Battle of Leuktra. With Sparta’s power broken, the Messenians regained their autonomy and began navigating the complex landscape of Greek politics, at times aligning themselves with Macedon, the Achaian League, or Rome to protect their interests.

By the late 180s BC, Messene had become a reluctant member of the Achaian League and ultimately rebelled against it. It was during this period of upheaval that our coin - a silver tetradrachm struck on the Attic weight standard - was minted. The obverse shows the wreathed head of Demeter, a fitting symbol for an agrarian society like Messene. The reverse features Zeus Ithomatas, the patron deity of Mount Ithome and a symbol of Messenian resistance against Sparta, along with a tripod - a reference to the Delphic Oracle’s command in 454 BC that Sparta free the helots. This coin was almost certainly used to pay the mercenaries hired during Messene’s revolt from the Achaian League.