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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sallent, post: 2822080, member: 76194&quot;]Kamarina was an ancient Greek colony in Sicily. The city was protected from invasion by a marsh which made a&nbsp; siege of the city almost impossible. However, in the late 5th Century the city began to be plagued by a mysterious illness. The people started to associate the illness with the marsh, and consulted the town oracle about draining it. The oracle told the city leaders not to drain the marsh, and that the plague would pass with time. But the city leaders ignored the Oracle and drained the marsh anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>Soon, Carthagenians swooped on the city and sieged it with the aid of the newly drained marshland. They broke into the city and massacred every living inhabitant. The coin below was minted shortly before these events, so the people who held it might have been the victims of their politicians&#039; hubris. I wonder what the last poor sucker who held this coin thought about his leaders as the Carthagenians prepared to strike him down? Probably what a lot of us think about our current lot of politicians, no matter which country we are in.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]662842[/ATTACH] SICILY. Kamarina.</p><p>Æ Onkia, 13mm, 1.2g, 2h; c. 420-405 BC.</p><p>Obverse: Facing gorgoneion.</p><p>Rev.: KAMA; Owl standing right, head facing, holding lizard in talon; pellet (mark of value) in exergue.</p><p>Reference: CNS 4; HGC 2, 552.</p><p><br /></p><p>Incidentally, this is my second gorgoneion as I do have one from the Black Sea area.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]662843[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Post any relevant coins[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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