Description
Sicily. Syracuse. Deinomenid Tyranny. Gelon I, 484-477 BC. AR-Tetradrachm (??mm, 17.32 g, 9h). Syracuse mint, struck circa 485-480 BC.
Obverse: Slow quadriga driven to the left by charioteer, wearing long chiton, holding the reins with his right hand, the kentron in his left hand; above, Nike with wide open wings flying to the left, crowning the horses //
Reverse: ΣVR - A - KO - ΣI - O - N. Pearl-diademed head of the nymph Arethusa, wearing necklace, the long hair tied up in her pearl diadem in the back of the head. Around, four dolphins.
Boehringer 79 (same dies); Boston 341 (same dies); Randazzo 248 (same dies).
Rare. A highly attractive example of this stunning masterwork of late archaic art. Perfectly centred on a very large flan. Beautiful cabinet tone with golden hues around the devices, some minor marks, otherwise almost extremely fine. NGC graded Ch AU strike 4/5, surface 4/5 - die shift
Provenance Details
Ex Auctiones AG Basel Auction 25, 1995, lot 202.
Ex Hess Divo Auction 342, 1 December 2024, Lot 9. From a Swiss collection.
Comment
In 485 BC, Gelon, the tyrant of Gela, conquered the city of Syracuse. He then handed over the government of Gela to his brother Hieron and took power over Syracuse. The expansion of the territory under his control, political alliances and a major victory against the Carthaginians at Himera in 410 BC led to Syracuse becoming the most important city in Sicily. Under Gelon's rule, the city became extremely prosperous. Great artists and talents were brought to the city to increase its influence and reputation.
This is also the reason for the present masterpiece. The early Syracusan Tetradrachms of Gelon, to which the present piece belongs, reflect this culture of luxury and aesthetic refinement well. As Gelon came to power, the local tetradrachms also changed slightly. The flying Nike is added to the obverse. This depiction on the obverse is an allusion to Gelon's victory in the chariot race at the Olympic Games in 488/487 BC. The attractive portrait in late Archaic style on the reverse depicts the nymph Arethusa.
Syracuse was founded in the eighth century BC as the second Greek colony by Corinthian settlers. The first colony was established on the island of Ortygia. According to legend, the river god Alpheios fell in love with Arethusa. Pursued by Alpheios, Arethusa asked Artemis for help. Artemis heard her and brought her to the island of Ortygia and turned her into a freshwater spring. The four dolphins represent the salt water that surrounds the spring and the island of Ortygia. The spring was very important for the development of the city and the depiction became the symbol of Syracuse and was shown on all Tetradrachms for the coming decades.
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