SICILY. Syracuse. Hieronymus (215-214 BC). AR 24-litrai (32mm, 20.25 gm, 4h). NGC Choice XF 4/5 - 2/5, overstruck, scratches. Diademed head of Hieronymus left; cornucopia behind, dotted border / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ / IΕΡΩΝΥΜΟΥ, winged thunderbolt, MI above. Holloway 3a (O3/R3, this coin). Jameson 887 (this coin). AMB 537 (this coin). Extremely rare with only a few examples known. From the Penn Collection. Ex Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 13 (8 October 1998), lot 537; Benson Collection (Sothebys, 1909), lot 393; Montagu Collection (Sothebys, 1886), lot 181; Wigan Collection Hieronymus ascended to the throne of Syracuse at the age of 15, after the long reign of his grandfather, Hieron II, in the middle of the Second Punic War. Hieron had carefully maintained an alliance between Syracuse and Rome, but the Romans had just been massively defeated at Cannae and it seemed Carthage, under the brilliant general Hannibal, was completely victorious, but for the formalities. Hieron was thus persuaded by the pro-Punic faction to break the Roman alliance and throw in with Carthage. It proved a fateful move, as Rome recovered from her disasters more quickly than anyone could have foreseen and did not take the betrayal of Syracuse lightly, dispatching a Roman army to Sicily under the great general Marcellus. Hieronymus raised a 15,000-man army and prepared to take the field, however, he was assassinated by the pro-Roman faction before the battle could be joined. Marcellus refused peace overtures and subjected Syracuse to a terrible two-year siege, ending with a thorough sacking. Later historians blackened the name of Hieronymus, accusing him of engaging in every vice and of bringing ruin upon his people by breaking the Roman alliance.

HID09801242017

© 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

To the auctioneer's website