SICILY. Syracuse. Agathocles (317-289 BC). AE litra (24mm, 11.22 gm, 5h). NGC Choice XF S 5/5 - 4/5. ΣΩΤΕΙΡΑ, draped bust of Artemis Soteira right, wearing pendant earring and beaded necklace, with wavy hair pulled back into bun at back of head, quiver over left shoulder / ΑΓΑΘΟΚΛΕΟΣ / ΒΑΣΙΛΕΟΣ, winged thunderbolt. HGC 2, 1461. Beautiful dark umber toned flan with blushes of sheen throughout. Agathocles was a military strongman who ruled Syracuse as a brutal tyrant with many purges and assassinations. Born the son of a simple potter in 361 BC, he joined the army and rose through the ranks to become a strategos or general. Ambitious, audacious, and unscrupulous, he was banished for attempting to overthrow the democratic government of Syracuse, but returned in 317 BC leading an army of mercenaries, he seized the city, and banished or murdered all of his opponents. War with Carthage followed; with Syracuse under siege, he staged a daring attack on the African hinterlands of Carthage that turned the tide of war in his favor. Though ultimately defeated in Africa, Agathocles returned to Sicily strengthened and concluded a treaty with Carthage on favorable terms. HID09801242017 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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