Featured Coinage during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC)

@robinjojo , @AncientJoe - thank you for your kind comments.

@AncientJoe , your Kimon is gorgeous.

The stylistic differences between Euainetos and Kimon are fascinating.

 

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Both renderings of Arethusa are magnificent and both coins are exemplary.

Syracuse and other cities of Sicily employed die engravers that were light years ahead in terms of artistry compared to those working for Athens during this time.

The Starr tetradrachms and many of the transitional/early mass production tetradrachms of Athens have their own appeal, but they do not compare to those of Syracuse and other cities in Sicily. As the mass production proceeded, relief was reduced and the design elements became less refined, as well as the execution of the mint process. Clearly, as Athens became increasingly mired in this war, money was desperately needed to pay for manpower and building up the fleet, so speed of coinage production appears to have been the rule of the day at the mint.

Of course, another factor is that Athens was constrained by the very popularity of her owls and their consistent design; any deviation from the original design would have been met with widespread disapproval and rejection, and that would have been yet another disaster.

 

This coin postdates the Peloponnesian War by nearly 100 years, but it is in keeping with the general designs of Syracuse's dekadrachms.

This is a tetradrachm of Syracuse, under the rule of the tyrant Agathokles. This coin came to me by way of Harlan Berk back in the early 90s.

17.0 grams