Ancient => Callin' all Syracuse Sicily Coins (it's sprue-time!!)

Thanks Bing

A little battered but I too think it has spirit :yes:

 

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Maybe, but it's all there on a nice flan. I mean, take a close look at Nike. Great detail.

 

Hey Bing and Steve! Good seeing ya! Doing well..just haven't bought coins recently. :b8nce:

 

But you have some nice coins in your collection you can post (if memory serves me at this advanced age)

 

Yeah, post some coins Kurt. Us CT folks haven't seen them.

 

I like to think of myself as "CT Folk", but I get what you mean JA.

 

Yeah, I had a George Bush moment there.

 

Persephone this time:

 

Another nice one SM.

 

More of Persephone:

 

Very nice SM. I guess I'll have to look for one of these for myself.

 

SICILY, SYRACUSE - PYRRHUS AE
278-276 B.C.
24 mm
10.6 gm
Obverse: Head of Heracles left, wearing lion skin
Reverse: CYPA-KOCIWN; Athena in archaic dress, walking right, holding shield and thunderbolt




Oooops => look who accidentally bought another Syracuse Sicily coin!! (my bad) ... I hadn't seen this one, so I yanked the chain and/or pulled the trigger!!

=> and lovin' it!! (man, I "love" the whole fabric/ feelin' of these coins)

.... mmmmmm, yesssss!!!

 

Do you know the story of Pyrrhus?

Rather interesting stuff, especially in it's relation to Carthage!

 

Fill me in on your knowledge, my young bro!!

:hail:

 

First, Pyrrhus was a cousin of Alexander the Great.

I'm not sure of how this happened, but he was asked by those living in Italy (the Tarentum City State specifically) to come with an army, as the Tarentians had a fallout with Rome, were facing total annihilation.

He then fought a lot of battles versus Rome, although the cost of these victories was high.

At the end, he said that another victory like this would ruin him, thus coining the term 'Pyhrric Victory', where the victory is at such a devastating cost that another victory would lead to defeat.

However, he was the Roman's Second Great Enemy, which they then defeated.

He then fled to Sicily, where the story will pick up in another post (I need a drink )

 

Wow => thanks for the history lesson, WC ...

Man, I didn't mean to drive you to drink!! (that's "my" wheel-house!! ... that shouldn't be what I want to pass-on to the YNs)

:thirst:

However => "always" pay-back when it's your round (that's my only life-skill that I can pass-on to you) ... Godspeed!!
:thirst:

 

Well, by fled I meant left for Sicily, where he had gotten an offer to drive out the Carthaginians.

As soon he reached Sicily, he was crowned Ruler of Sicily, which meant that he had multiple thrones under his belt (he still had his Greek state)

Sidenote:
Your coin was made in this period.
It has Heracles (who at the time was associated with Alexander[who slept with the play under his pillow occasionally]) on one side as he thought that he was his (step?) uncle's heir, and as such was the heir of Heracles.

In 277, He attacked the strongest Carthaginian fortress, that of Eryx. This prompted almost all of the Carthaginian cities to defect to Pyrrhus, bar one. Lilybaeum.

He attacked Lilybaeum in 276 and failed to take the city.

Then the Greek cities started to rebel due to taxes and garrisons, as he wanted to make a large navy (a big expense!)

He then fled back to Italy, and I don't know any later history of him (note my favorite parts are the Carthaginian and Pyrrhic Victory parts.


And Steve, I think drinking Gatorade is okay

 

Aww steve I love the Orion Slave girl Avatar- thats got to be one of my favs!

 

Okay fine ... when it rains, it pours!!

=> I bought another Syracuse coin => "wheels-n-dolphins" (how could I pass it up, right?)

SICILY - SYRACUSE – HEMILITRON
TIME OF DIONYSIOS I (410-405 B.C.)
Diameter: 16 mm
Weight: 3.4 grams
Obverse: ARETHUSA
Reverse: WHEEL OF FOUR SPOKES , DOLPHINS
Reference: sng ans 404
other: good vf

 

Jeeze... Beautiful!

Persephone/Kore reverse? (Just a guess!)